Confession, Forgiveness and Freedom

Life is a story. We all have one tell. Some we are quick to share. Others we'd rather keep to ourselves.

I saw a movie recently that did an incredible job of showing the devastating effects of an untold story. It was a depiction of a man that was haunted by a sin in his life. A part of his story that because he was unwilling to share, cost him his life. A sin that imprisoned him in his own isolated world for 40 years.

The movie Get Low, starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek, is a quirky film based on a real-life 1930s legend. It's about man in desperate need of forgiveness, both from others as well as himself. It is a movie worth seeing, and does a great job of opening the eyes of the viewer to the power of confession and forgiveness.



As the movie ended my thoughts went directly to James 5:13-16.

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

There is great power in the act of confession. James goes so far as to say that through it, we find healing. What a precious gift it is when we are able to live in community with one another at such a deep level that we may freely confess to one another, and find forgiveness and the subsequent freedom that comes from it.

May we as the Church live in such a way. May we be a people that will listen and pray for one another. And may we enjoy the freedom that is offered us through the forgiveness of both Christ and His Church.