“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
As my husband and I have done for the past several years, we showed up at our local high school track Friday afternoon to get set up for the 4x4x48 event. This is an endurance event where a person runs or walks four miles every four hours for forty-eight hours, not only to test their limits but to help support local charities. While unpacking supplies, I remarked to my husband that this was going to be another hot, extended weekend. And I was not wrong. It was typical July weather in Missouri: sweltering, sticky, and thick with humidity.
As you can imagine, then, after forty-eight hours and forty-eight miles of running around a steamy track and camping onsite with no access to showers, I was more than ready to get home and to get “clean.” “I feel so gross,” I said to my husband more than once. “And I know I probably stink.” To which he replied, “We all stink at this point, honey.”
That was the very reason that, upon finally stepping out of the shower late Sunday afternoon, I smiled and thanked the Lord over and over for the blessing of being clean. That God-given blessing then caused me to pray, “Lord, thank You for making me more than just clean on the outside. Thank You for making me clean on the inside as well, by forgiving my sins and cleansing me from all unrighteousness. Thank you for the gift of forgiveness”
But, you know, if I’m honest, I’d have to admit that I haven’t always felt this way. For most of my life, I carried around guilt and shame for the many things I had done wrong. Guilt and shame so heavy that they made me feel I could never truly be made clean. Even though I believed in Jesus, I still couldn’t let it go. And let me tell you, the weight of that guilt was wearing me down. I had forgotten the promise of God’s Word:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.” (Psalm 32:5 BSB)
Thankfully, I finally came to understand that the guilt I was carrying around was preventing me from truly believing that my transgressions had been removed from me as far as the east is from the west. It was only then that I asked the Lord to remove the guilt of my sin. It was then that I accepted his forgiveness.
Knowing God forgave the guilt of my sin changed everything. I began to see myself in a different way: the way described so movingly in Natalie Grant’s song “Clean.” The lyrics paint a picture of a heart that feels shattered and broken, then gains the knowledge of being whole and beautiful, restored piece by piece, with nothing too dirty for God’s mercy to wash and make worthy again.
So, if you’re carrying around guilt today, let it go, my friend. It has no place in the life of the believer who has turned from their sin and placed their trust in the forgiveness given to us by Jesus Christ. Let the reality of your confessed sin, instead, cause you to remember that God is faithful and just to forgive your sins and has removed them as far as the east is from the west!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being the God who forgives and restores all those who come to You with repentant hearts. Lord, help us to truly understand that our sins are wiped clean, so that we would not live with the guilt that keeps us from moving forward and declaring Your power to save and restore to others. It’s in Your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
