James: What You Do MattersSample

I didn’t grow up in a church that practiced public confession, so when a group leader announced we were going to spend some time confessing our sins aloud, I recoiled. Weren’t we supposed to confess our sins to God? Aren’t there some things I’m better off not knowing about these people? Won’t this make things awkward in the group?

Each person shared vulnerably what they were struggling with and then the group responded, “Lord, have mercy.”The confessions continued until silence settled in. Then we prayed the Lord’s prayer together.

When I opened my eyes, a shift had taken place in me. I saw everyone in the group with more compassion, and somehow I felt closer to them as if we were all tightly linked in this spiritual journey together.

James instructs us to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we may experience healing. Something powerful happens when we set aside our pride and self-protection to talk about our struggles and sins. Rather than judgment, we experience a contagious grace that reminds us that God is faithful and at work in each of our lives.

Confession deepens our relationships as we become more vulnerable with each other. Any illusions of someone in the group “having it all together” or being “an all-star believer” vanish. Feelings of competition or comparison, pride or proving oneself fade away, as we recognize that everyone is fighting their own battles and we all need Christ to rescue us.

Confession also deepens our prayer lives. When we know what’s going on in someone’s life, we’re better equipped to pray for them and more determined to continue praying for the long haul. We also get to celebrate when God answers those prayers and watch in awe as the Holy Spirit changes people right before our eyes.

Most importantly, confession changes us. Through confessing our sins, we no longer have to carry the heavy burden of trying to keep our sins in the dark. When we bring it into the light, we can experience forgiveness and transformative grace.