Why Climb, Conserve, and Confess is a must-have for all of Us: Part 3- Confession is better than good.

Confess

Eventually, we all get in too deep. It can happen to the best of us, and often in spite of our best intentions. And that’s why after we have climbed to a higher altitude for better perspective and maximized our resources, we must return to the critical page in our own “S.M.J. “manual and promptly “get on the radio” to confess our situation.

Admittedly this doesn’t happen too often in the public arena but as I thought about this topic, my mind returned to a speech given by then President Ronald Reagan on March 17, 1987. In an earlier speech he had confidently asserted that, “we did not trade arms for hostages”. But then, just days later he now found himself before the nation again and confessed, that, “despite his best motivations, the facts have revealed that we did trade arms for hostages.” His confession was rather unique for American politics where the “blame game” is most prevalent. He then reiterated,

At some point, we all lose our way, surrender our moral compass, fall prey to the temptations that a quest for position often brings, or just succumb to our own worst nature.

Few are those who beat a path to confession; more prevalent are those who resist it, deny its need in their own life and choose to cut their own path of repeated denials, questionable ethics, and evasive behaviors. Rather than taking personal responsibility for “leaving the rails” many choose to blame others, justify their behavior, or shift responsibility by claiming they are not responsible for the actions of those who follow their lead. Thankfully, The Scriptures have not left us without truth or the proper actions necessary for the follower of Jesus to carry out a truly Christian ethic. Even after realizing the great potential that was within his own discretion, Samson could not or would not reign in his lust for the larger goal of God set before him and refused to confess his sin. We all know how that turned out. It may seem trite, but the walls of his world really did come down around him. The failure to confess his own sin cost David his own son; only then could he see it; thanks largely to the courage of a courageous man of God, who without hesitation and with godly diligence, successfully brought the king to his knees where he could finally recognize his sin, the value of confession, and finally, realize the relief that comes knowing that his sins were forgiven ( II Samuel 12; Psalm 32; Psalm 51).

In the political realm Richard Nixon possessed great insight into the hearts and minds of men, was a savvy politician, and changed the geopolitical landscape through normalization of relations with China, yet was unable to bring himself to confess his own abhorrent behavior as a result of the events surrounding Watergate. It was left to Chuck Colson, one of Nixon’s political operatives to finally confront the hopelessness of his own pursuit of power and influence and confess his sin before his family and the public. But in doing so, he eventually earned the respect of even his harshest critics and more importantly was awakened to the realization that his sins were forgiven and that he now possessed a new life in Christ, a life now committed to changing the goals associated with prison reform and the outcomes for the prisoners who languish in incarceration and the culture which must shoulder an ever-increasing burden that comes with unchecked recidivism.

So what can we learn from that trusty S.M.J. manual?

1. What we need in times of crisis is perspective; the opportunity and ability to see the bigger picture of our need.
2. When caught in the throws of difficulty, drawing upon our spiritual reserves can make the difference between a soft landing or an ugly crash.
3. Confession is always the right choice. If lacking a relationship with Christ, it opens the door to a peace filled life. If struggling with the challenges surrounding our sin, failures, and faults, it provides the believer with the only therapeutic that really soothes the hearts greatest desire and our soul’s greatest need- forgiveness ( Romans 5:1; I John 1:8-9).

MJC