When He Got It Wrong

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us.” — from 1 John 1

Brother Lawrence loved God very much. But he wasn’t perfect. He still made mistakes. Sometimes he forgot about God for quite a long time. Sometimes he did things he knew were wrong.

So what did he do when he got it wrong? He didn’t sulk. He didn’t give up. And he didn’t make excuses.

He simply told God. He said something like this: “Lord, this is what I’m like. If you leave me to myself, I’ll always do this. You have to stop me falling, and fix what I’ve got wrong.” Then he stopped worrying about it, and went back to loving God, just as before.

Brother Lawrence knew that our sins are forgiven because of Jesus, who died for us, not because we are good enough. So he trusted Jesus, and he didn’t carry his mistakes around like a heavy bag.

And when he got something right, he thanked God, because he knew the strength had come from God. He said that by getting up again after every fall, little by little, he learned to think about God all the time.

Everybody gets things wrong, even grown-ups and even people who love God very much. When you do, don’t hide it or worry for days. Tell God you’re sorry, trust Jesus to forgive you, and start again.

Dear God, I’m sorry for the wrong things I have done. Thank you that Jesus forgives me. Help me to get up and keep going with you. Amen.