The Lord had convicted me that it was time. He had been gently tugging on my heart to bring specific sins to Him in the confessional, and one day, He convicted me strongly. I knew there were confessions happening that evening at a parish nearby, and I knew He was calling me to go. But I also knew that it might get ugly (with ugly crying, that is).
And sure enough, that's what happened. The priest wasn't sitting in a confessional, but sat in a chair outside the door of the church. And perhaps you can identify with one of those "confessions you will always remember," but everything I had bottled up inside for months came flowing out like a river and there was definitely some crying that I could not continue to hold in.
The poor priest had to ask me to quiet my crying and volume down a few times—I knew why. I wasn't offended. I tried to pull it together as best I could. Praise God for His forgiveness and mercy, and God bless that sweet, bewildered priest; it was certainly a life-changing event.
The story of the sinful woman has always touched me deeply because of the way Jesus lets the sinful woman just pour it all out. He is not alarmed by her display of love. He is not bewildered by her emotions. He never once asks her to pull it together, tone it down, or rein it in a little. He lets her pour every last bit of her love, emotion, sorrow, and repentance from the depths of her soul. He meets her authenticity with all of Himself—all of His love, all of His mercy, all of His goodness.
And sometimes, I need to revisit this Gospel (Luke 7:36-50) and be reminded of this scriptural proof that Jesus wants us to hold nothing back when we run to Him. We cannot scare Him with our emotions. We cannot frighten Him with our authenticity. He is open to it all.
Where is the Lord calling you to a greater authenticity with Him?
LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS
A NEW WORKSHOP
COME BACK TO FIRST LOVE
