Acknowledge, Learn, And Grow (Advent 9)

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Acknowledge, Learn, And Grow (Advent 9)

“And they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.” - Matthew 3:6

Confessing one’s faults, mistakes, and shortcomings isn’t about blame and shame. It’s not about making oneself feel guilty. It’s certainly not about pointing out flaws in anyone other than ourselves. 

Baptism represents a person’s desire, commitment, and determination to make a new start, putting the old ways behind. Confession is a tool for understanding and acknowledging our mistakes, learning from them, and growing into better versions of ourselves. 

I’ve been happily married going on 30 years now. But before that, I was previously married where we only lasted about nine months before we permanently separated. At the time, in my mind all of her faults were on full display.

Then it occurred to me that even if I felt like she was 80-90 percent responsible for our problems, I still had 10-20 percent of the blame. And if I didn’t fix my part of the problem, I would carry that same dysfunction into a new relationship. 

I needed to be a better communicator, speaking the truth in love and gentleness. I needed to be a better listener, not so defensive and quick to feel attacked. I needed to prioritize the health of the relationship over my timeline for achieving our goals which were mostly mine in the first place.

Confessing all this to myself and God was an essential step in my journey to growth. 

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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