There are things in our life that are like weeds in our gardens. Sin, whether it is present, a threat or if it has had an effect on your life, can have a growing affect on your spiritual garden of life.
If you have spent anytime reading the Bible you probably have come across the act of confession. To confess is to acknowledge, admit or to profess.
We can read where we are to confess Christ to others (2 Cor. 9:13, I Tim. 6:12) and we are to confess our sins one to another (James 5:16).
It is the later one that I have oftened wondered about. God tells us we are to acknowledge that we have sin and admit to others we have them. What GOOD comes from telling others about our failures, weaknesses and sins? Wouldn't it just breed more weeds and produce gossip, shame, pity and even make us as Christians look bad to the world?
Bearing my soul, showing how weak I am in my walk with Christ and dwelling on all the negatives could not possibly bring about a positive but just like a garden you have weeds and they need to be dealt with before they creep in or take over...again.
What is God trying to teach by having us confess our sins one to another?
When I was 16 years old I was asked to confess my sins to a prayer partner. I have to admit for years I thought it was the most ridiculous thing for this person to ask of me. I thought they were just being nosey. I even thought that if I confessed my deepest, darkest secret sins someone might use them against me somehow. I thought that bringing these negatives to light would only bring about more darkness into their life and into mine.
Years later I have learned differently.
In my previous blog posts, "What a Difference a Year Makes"and "The Pain of Childbirth", I have referred to events in my life where I felt I was in a very dark place because sin had invaded my life. It had crept in and affected my life and now I have had to do some work to get it out. It had created a darkness in me. During the dark times in my life, I bore my soul to my sisters and brothers in Christ. I knew it was risky. I knew I was taking a chance in expressing this sin and allowing others to see into my dark world but I couldn't see the light and I was fumbling around in the darkness. It wasn't easy and I was scared of what others may think of me, that they may tell the whole world, that they would use it to hurt me...you get the picture - it is a pride thing - but no matter, I had this weed in my life and it was taking up valuable space.
You can't receive help if you don't acknowledge the challenges that are before you. You can't receive help if others don't know what your struggles are. You can't receive forgiveness if you don't ask for it.
So to help your Life Garden grow you have to get down on your knees and do a little weeding and just like weeds, sin can't live in the light. So put it out there. Take a chance and see what comes up in its place.
1 John 1: 5-10
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we
claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." So why does God want us to confess our sins one to another?
You tell me!
As your sister in Christ, I may not have had the same weeds as you but I promise that I will get down on my knees in prayer so that you, too, can harvest the fruit from your own garden.
Do you want to know what I have growing in my garden?
Joy
Encouragement
Support
Unconditional Love
Strength
Inhale...exhale...Ahhhhh! My Gardenia Garden!
