Cleaning Project
But there are many people hear and it is the rainy season: so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing. Ezra 10:13
Okay, first of all, I can easily relate to the procrastination. Uh, yeah, we want to do the right thing. We will do the right thing, but right now it’s rainy and crowded, etc. etc. Fill in your own words. If you’re anything like me, you’ve done this dance. I want to repent, really, but not yet, because of these three not terribly legitimate reasons. Two of my least favorite words when put side by side are “I’m gonna’” Ugh! I sincerely doubt it! It doesn’t matter if someone else is saying them or if they are my own words. “Gonna’” is not the same as actual, well, action. But then, right after the oh so familiar and quite human delay tactic comes a very profound thought. This sin is so grievous that it isn’t going away in a day or two.
Living as we do, after the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know that we are forgiven immediately when we ask our Father to forgive us. But our confession and God’s mercy are not a period end of story. Forgiveness comes right away but then comes consequences. I understand what these men are saying. They have sinned in such a way, grieved the Father’s heart to such an extent that they will have to walk through the cost of that error for longer than a day or two. I don’t know how long they felt was appropriate but I get what they are feeling. It can’t be that easy.
The truth is, forgiveness is that easy. We ask it of our Lord and He says yes, it’s done. Rebuilding a life, a trust, a relationship, takes longer than a day or two. Things are not going to feel normal to us, until we feel we’ve done something to repair the damage we caused.
Our pastor had a rough patch a few years ago. He has made it right in the most important places, with his family and with his God. He makes reference to his slip every now and then in an attempt, I think, to rebuild trust, restore relationships and let his congregation know that he is still taking it all very seriously. If things were immediately mended a lot of valuable lessons would go unlearned. We would miss opportunities to forgive those who trespass against us and miss opportunities to experience forgiveness from family, friends and most important, God.
The men in the passage from Ezra are in a real mess with far reaching consequences. They are self-aware enough to know it and they are smart enough to admit it. All of us would like our sins, especially the big ugly ones to just go away. We love clean slates. Sometimes God wipes our slate clean and sometimes He hands us a rag. Either way, when He is in our cleaning project with us it can’t help but succeed.
Okay, first of all, I can easily relate to the procrastination. Uh, yeah, we want to do the right thing. We will do the right thing, but right now it’s rainy and crowded, etc. etc. Fill in your own words. If you’re anything like me, you’ve done this dance. I want to repent, really, but not yet, because of these three not terribly legitimate reasons. Two of my least favorite words when put side by side are “I’m gonna’” Ugh! I sincerely doubt it! It doesn’t matter if someone else is saying them or if they are my own words. “Gonna’” is not the same as actual, well, action. But then, right after the oh so familiar and quite human delay tactic comes a very profound thought. This sin is so grievous that it isn’t going away in a day or two.
Living as we do, after the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know that we are forgiven immediately when we ask our Father to forgive us. But our confession and God’s mercy are not a period end of story. Forgiveness comes right away but then comes consequences. I understand what these men are saying. They have sinned in such a way, grieved the Father’s heart to such an extent that they will have to walk through the cost of that error for longer than a day or two. I don’t know how long they felt was appropriate but I get what they are feeling. It can’t be that easy.
The truth is, forgiveness is that easy. We ask it of our Lord and He says yes, it’s done. Rebuilding a life, a trust, a relationship, takes longer than a day or two. Things are not going to feel normal to us, until we feel we’ve done something to repair the damage we caused.
Our pastor had a rough patch a few years ago. He has made it right in the most important places, with his family and with his God. He makes reference to his slip every now and then in an attempt, I think, to rebuild trust, restore relationships and let his congregation know that he is still taking it all very seriously. If things were immediately mended a lot of valuable lessons would go unlearned. We would miss opportunities to forgive those who trespass against us and miss opportunities to experience forgiveness from family, friends and most important, God.
The men in the passage from Ezra are in a real mess with far reaching consequences. They are self-aware enough to know it and they are smart enough to admit it. All of us would like our sins, especially the big ugly ones to just go away. We love clean slates. Sometimes God wipes our slate clean and sometimes He hands us a rag. Either way, when He is in our cleaning project with us it can’t help but succeed.
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