As I jog I have been listening to this really good pastor I know named Chris Osborne. I have been listening to him go through the Psalms. I love the Psalms and love learning more about David. Anyone called "a man after God's own heart" is worth sinking into. Through these sermons and in my own life God has been teaching me about confession.
One day I was driving and thinking about why confession is important. I mean God knows what you did and your heart so why do I need to tell him I am sorry and repent after I become a Christian. I realized that the confession restores the relationship. If Stephen and I disagree (we did one time-ha) and we don't ask for forgiveness and acknowledge that we hurt the other, then we will still go on and be married but there is a hardness or wall still in our relationship. God showed me that He still loves me and I am still His but when I don't take confession seriously my relationship with Him is hindered. That is motivation to confess.
David made some doozie of sins. He was still a man after God's heart. How? David understood true repentance and then lived in the freedom of God's forgiveness.
I know sin has consequences. David had consequences, we all do. I give my kids consequences for their disobedience because I want them to learn to be under God's authority. In this phase of my life I deal out consequences quite often. I feel consequences for my own sin.
However, God has shown me recently that confession is so important. I know I can't make my kids repent, just like I can't make them obey. But, I can teach them to confess and ask for forgiveness. I can try to teach and pray that God will give them hearts that are like David's and that hurt over sin and respond by confession and then live in Christ's freedom of forgiveness. This is what I am working on. Consequences are still important but I want to model and teach my children about confession as well.
I by no means have anything figured out. If you have any tips for teaching this please leave them for me!
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