Confession and Storms

One of the hardest things to do when I started into officiating swim meets was disqualifying those little ones. O, they would cry. Sometimes parents would stomp angrily and coaches would yell. We have a saying in official's circles: "Officials don't disqualify swimmers. Swimmers disqualify themselves." That doesn't make it any easier but I've learned one thing over the years. As a swimmer I am thankful I was disqualified early on in my career. To not disqualify me, to simply ignore the infractions, would be to condemn me to a career of frustration in my efforts to swim faster and better.

In thinking more about John 4, the Samaritan Woman at the Well and her encounter with Jesus, I am thankful that God helps me understand where I've gone wrong. I'm thankful that He points out sin in my life. If He didn't I might think that I'm doing better than I am.

When our lives are in chaos, in the midst of a storm, because of our sin (not all storms are the result of sin - sometimes life just happens), the way out is confession not hiding from our failures. It doesn't feel good but it's the only way through these kind of storms. All storms aren't the result of our sin (please don't go down that road) - sometimes life happens and we are thrown into a storm. But when the storm is from our sin, confession is the only solution. Telling the truth and owning our failures is the doorway to transformation.

Confession is one of those spiritual disciplines that the Protestant Church lost when it broke from the Roman Catholic Church. Something happens when we confess our sins to someone else. James tells us in 5:13-16 -- "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Satan's main focus of attack after temptation is, I think, isolation. If he can isolate us from other Christ-followers then he can get us to a place where we are more vulnerable to temptation having no network for support. (Read Luke 8 about the Gerasene Demoniac - he lived in isolation until Jesus healed him. He wanted to go with Jesus but Jesus sent him into ministry in his hometown).

God created us for interdependence with others - for support, for encouragement and for confession. I don't know how anyone lives a vital Christian faith without a small group of other companions on the journey. I am privileged to have four groups - my family, the Cornerstone Staff, a Cornerstone small group and a cluster of fellow pastors. When storms happen in my life I know that I have a support system (and probably one too many groups but the pastors cluster is required - and I do enjoy the regular interaction with other pastors).

Many of the Cornerstone family know that my father started treatments for pancreatic cancer today. My only sister lives in Colorado, that's one big reason we moved back to this area of Ohio with all our parents in Cincinnati at the time. She is able to get away regularly to be here but on a daily basis I'm the closest and I'm thankful that we're here. I'm in the midst of a storm and know that I couldn't even think of making it without the prayers and support and encouragement of these groups. Each of these groups has been a picture of the Body of Christ as it is called to be - meals brought in, prayers offered up, encouraging phone calls and e-mails, questions of "How's dad?" and then "How are you?" Because of these connections I am blessed and able to weather this storm. I don't have it all together. I need others to help me along this journey of becoming more and more like Jesus.

So, thank you to the small groups in my life who provide a place for me to be me - to confess my failures, to ask for prayers, to depend on for strength and to receive the love and care of Christ.