Confession Is Thanksgiving

Posted by Victoria Bierman Jenkins on June 4th, 2010 in Faith | 5 Comments

Ever have one of those days (or 12 of ‘em) where you seem to hold back tears at every turn? No hormones to blame. No circumstance to overcome. No rhyme or reason, just an overwhelming well waiting to overflow when given the chance.

I suppose that’s a rhetorical question, since Scripture teaches that our pain is not unique to us. Not one to live by the whole “misery loves company” bit, I prefer to think that sorrow is best shared among sisters. Savoring God’s faithfulness and nudging each other to never forget it…to never forget Him. Stripping away the “all is well” disguise we wear, whether we slip it on with intent or innocence, and declaring — confessing — that nothing is perfect.

Admitting that life gets ugly…especially on the inside. Can this be the greatest gift we fallible beings can offer? Oh God can offer eternity, hope, salvation, and so much more by means of His use of us, but I can’t think of anything we can give that matches the value of empathy.

How much do you need to hear today that someone else failed in the same way you have? It isn’t that we don’t want to be the only one struggling; it isn’t that we need to know other people suffer. It is so much more.

We need to know that someone understands. We need the opportunity to lift up a sister in heartache to show us the way out of our own. We need the compassion and the practice of healing with our hearts and feeling with our heads and holding hands with human beings.

We need.

Ever hate everything and nothing all at once? Been so frustrated that you want to run away and then find yourself in a puddle at the realization that there is nowhere for you to run? Nowhere you’d even want to go? Food, tasteless. Movies, un-entertaining. Books, a task you’d rather not take on. We’re not alone.

You know, we’re never alone. Not only do we share common struggles faced by man since the Creation, we also have an unwavering God who stands beside us all the while. He’s waiting around to be gracious to us.

Wow.