Throwing Our Sins into the Sea

"Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins." Mi 7:18-19

Almost every child learns how to skip rocks across a pond or a lake. With practice we might even manage to make the stone skip six or seven times, but eventually the stone sinks into the water and disappears, and even the best of divers would be hard pressed to find it. The stone which has disappeared, Micah suggests, is like our sins and guilt. God throws them into the sea where they disappear, and even God does not want to find them, but the same cannot always be said for us.

The challenge of the spiritual life is to let go, not just of our possessions and power, but of our sins and guilt. When we cling to anything, even our guilt, we get in God's way. Opening ourselves to God's example, we need to imagine ourselves throwing our sins into the sea. Only those who are too proud think they have to keep asking forgiveness for sins God has dismissed.

Further, when we accept God's forgiveness, our task is simple. We need to forgive anyone who has hurt or sinned against us, and this will the sign that God's desire to forgive us must be shared with all people, especially those who struggle to accept themselves.

Today, turn your back on your guilt and look at others with forgiving eyes.

Whose forgiveness of you has helped turn your life around?