FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS, we talked about how we sometimes get angry at God.
Today, I want to talk about how we sometimes get angry at ourself for mistakes we had done in the past. Sometimes decades ago. We can’t forgive ourself. And our heart is filled with self-loathing.
Too bad. Because God’s forgiveness is amazing. Do you know how fantastic? Chew on this beautiful prayer from the Bible: Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7 TLB). Wow.
When I was a small boy, I wore white polo shirt to school.
Well, in the morning, it was white. By late afternoon, my shirt was no longer white. Nor was it even still a shirt. It was an abstract artwork. Splats of catsup here, dribbles of chocolate milk there, ball pen drawings everywhere. Actually, it was not just an artwork. According to my mother, it was a vegetable garden. Especially around the collar. There was enough dirt to plant kamote.
But by the next morning, wonder of wonders, by the sheer magic of detergent, my shirt became white again.
I have an announcement to make. God has a magic detergent too. It’s called “forgiveness”.
As a kid going to school, I experienced this amazing miracle happening every day. I didn’t have to do a thing– except to surrender my smelly shirt to Mom. I didn’t do the soaking or soaping or rubbing or rinsing or drying or pressing. She did all that.
No matter how dirty you are, you can be white every single day. All you need to do is surrender yourself to Him.
“Hand over your heart,” says God, “and I’ll make you whiter than snow.”
I urge you to confess your sins to God every day. The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NIV)
And if you’re Catholic, I urge you to confess your sins in the Sacrament of Confession. Through the Sacrament, you receive blessing and healing. The Bible says, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16 NIV)
A Little Problem
But imagine if one day, while wearing my newly washed shirt, I cry and say, “Mommy, my shirt is dirty!”
Mom looks at it and says, “No, it’s very clean. I washed it already.”
And I say, “No, I still remember how I spilled catsup here, and I still remember how I drew Superman over there, and I still remember how three kilos of kamote was growing around my neck… Mom, I want to wash my shirt again.”
Mom shakes her head. “It’s done. I washed it for you!”
But I keep crying and throwing a tantrum, “No, no, no. Where’s the soap? I want to wash it again…”
Over the years, I’ve met a lot of people who act just like my imaginary tantrum. They have a hard time forgiving their self. Even if they know about God’s forgiveness, they’re haunted by the memory of their mistake, and they feel dirty. And rotten. And they desire to punish their self for sins that are no longer there.
Today, God wants to tell you: “There’s nothing to pay. You’re washed. You’re cleansed. You’re brand new. You’re whiter than snow.”
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
