"Which sins is a person to confess?"
"Before God one is to acknowledge the guilt for all sins, even those of which we are not aware, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. However, before the pastor we are to confess only those sins of which we are aware and which trouble us."
Sometimes we need to get things "off our chest." It is good that we can bring all of our concerns before God. God is there to hear our prayers and receive all we offer- good or bad. There are some very large and difficult issues in the world that are troubling and I, alone, cannot fix. War, hunger, disease and its causes, etc. are things that I am aware of and perhaps even unknowingly have contributed to in some way. These we confess before God.
But sometimes it is good to talk with another person about something that troubles us. To speak with someone face-to-face, a trusted friend, a pastor, a Stephen minister, can be helpful as we unburden our concerns. In other writings Luther says that we are at the same time both "saint and sinner." In the quote in today's devotion, Brene' Brown writes, "We attempt to disown our difficult stories to appear more whole or more acceptable, but our wholeness- even our wholeheartedness- actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences, including the falls." Confession allows for this integration. It speaks to who we truly are, and to a loving God who provides divine grace to make us whole.
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