A Confession, Then A Prayer

 I feel like my relationship with GOD is growing into one that requires me to be ever more transparent in all aspects of my life. Why transparent? Well, when you see this blog, I don't want you to see me. Rather, I want you to see THE LORD and HIS POWER and BLESSINGS in every lesson HE teaches and has taught me. I write not for "Rachel Glory", I write for GOD'S GLORY. I want you to realize that confession and prayer are things I can do for myself in which I feel closer to and more complete in CHRIST.

Now, does that mean all future posts will be ones of confession and prayer? No, because I want to tell GOD'S Story in my her-story. This sometimes shows up as pondering and sometimes as narratives, actually they show up in lots of ways. Today however, this post is delivered in confession and prayer.

Part 1 Confession

LORD,

Why is it that knowing how broken I am as a person I can still act with such arrogance like I am not broken? Why at the sametime I am understanding brokenness, I am disavowing its presence in my life and my habits? Why do I continue to walk into my own person little 'sin'k hole?

How can I know with certainity that every person on the planet is broken, yet I fail to observe and/or recognize just that when I consider others' lives?

Why do I alway think of others' actions as having evil intent, and yet I think my actions are just misguided intentions? Why don't I confess that regarding my actions I consider misguided, those same actions really do have ill intent? Yes, even more why don't I continually confess my evil intentions, evil intentions compared to the Intentions of GOD?

Why do I question everyone else's intentions, and never my own?

How can I be so naive about my actions and motivations, and yet be so cynical about those same things when regarding my fellow man- and women-kind?

I confess it seems ironic to me that a large group of relatives, acquiantances and yes, I'm afraid, even some friends find me very gullible; Because in my heart I know that the moment of the head-fake gets me everytime but and I recgonize it, I will feel angry at and hurt from the person"s" who had me following the bouncing ball.

I confess I am troubled by my inability to leave behind my resentful thoughts toward that ball-bouncer's use of my vulnerablitiy, even if it were 'in all good, clean fun.'

How can I continue failing to see all others who are broken, hurting people, fail to see their needs and their pain?

I confess my wilfull blindness.

I confess this is a grave-worthy sin.

I confess my insensitivity.

I confess this is a sin.

I confess that I often think life is all about me.

I confess I am, I truly am a horrible friend.

I confess that only because JESUS, our BEST FRIEND, HIMSELF has pried my eyes open, I can and want to evolve in my conscienceness and one day I can show true friendship as defined by The FRIEND Who SAVES Us By HIS GRACE.

Part 2: Prayer

Having made my personal confessions, Nehemiah reminds me that collective confession is profound and purifying. Here is a prayer, which I wrote for and read to my Hope Family:

SON Of GOD,

YOU do marvelous things for us, YOUR Siblings. YOUR Revelation of freedom has changed how we live from day to day. The freedom YOU offer captives is the tangible evidence of our hope, our peace and our joy.

We confess that captivity is familiar and comfortable. We confess our failure to notice our prison doors have been unlocked by YOU and that they remain open because of YOUR Faithfulness.

And even when we fail to see the open door, still we are thankful for our hope of freedom. We are thankful for YOU The WORD which reminds us with each sentence to live in the freedom YOU have already bought us with the spilling of YOUR Life's Blood.

LORD,

Please help each of YOUR Bridal Party here assembled to encourage one another with the knowledge we are no longer chained to the obstacles preventing us from being joined as one with YOU, our BRIDEGROOM.

May these words be acceptable to YOU and to The FATHER and to The SPIRIT whose strength allowed them to be spoken,

Amen.

JESUS said to the people who believed in HIM, “You are truly MY Disciples if you remain faithful to MY Teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do YOU mean, 'You will be set free'?”

JESUS replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if The SON sets you free, you are truly free.

From John 8:31-36 New Living Translation.

JESUS, thank YOU for inviting us into YOUR Forever Family. Amen.