Amazing Grace

Sin cannot be managed.

That seems pretty simple and straightforward, right?

So then why do so many of us spend so much time and energy doing just that? Rather than stand before the Lord openly and honestly and allow Him to face our sins with us, we try to manage our sins and hope to keep them to a minimum. We strive to "do better."
Of course, we have some good days when we avoid sin and, as a result, we feel closer to God. But when bad days come, and we struggle with our shortcomings and lose the sin battles, we feel unworthy of His love and grace.
In the end, we always feel ashamed, and unworthy, and even disillusioned with a faith we cannot sustain.
Trying to manage our sin makes us pretenders in life. We wear masks. We "play the game" without ever really winning. In fact, there is no winning because managing our sin is like trying to put a cork in a smoldering volcano. The erruption always comes eventually.

The Scriptures teach us to confess our sins. Carry them to the Lord and own up to them. Point out the ugliness of our acts, and the darkness deep inside us where those things spring from, and the pain that our sin brings to ourselves and those who love us. Don't try to manage it - confess it.

Something happens when I confess my sin in this way. The Lord wraps an arm around my shoulder and stands with me. And together, we face the sin and deal with it.
That's the definition of grace. We face it together. The Lord and me. Can you get your mind around that? Many can't, you know? We've been so programmed to strive for holiness, and filled with teaching that puts the impetus for righteousness on us, that we just can't seem to see Jesus looking at our sin with us and saying, "Mmm. I've seen worse. I can handle that."

No wonder they call His grace amazing.