How Confession Heals Wounds

Festering. The fear with any wound is that it will get infected and fester, causing it to swell and have stinking, foul drainage. First Aid 101 says you don’t ignore even the smallest cut. Instead, treat it by cleaning, disinfecting, and then gently covering it.

Physical wound care can also be applied to the wounds we get and give when we hurt each other emotionally. Too often, we gloss over the hurt; we ignore it, vow to do better, think they’ll understand we didn’t really mean anything by it, or assume they can just get over it instead of acknowledging our wrongs and saying, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” Often, this leaves a painful heart wound that will probably fester and burst ugliness when bumped again.

Whether we sin against God or each other, God’s Word tells us to deal with it—acknowledge it, clean it out, and seek healing.

In James chapter 5, during a discussion about the power of prayer to bring physical healing, James mentions confession of sins. Just as faith-filled prayer can heal physical illnesses, prayer can also heal emotional and spiritual maladies. And just as cleansing physical wounds starts the healing process, confessing our wrongdoing is the starting point to healing relationships—whether between us and God or between us and others.

If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.

James 5:16 (CEV)

Just as we learn how to pray by hearing or seeing prayers in the Bible, our kids will learn to confess by listening to us do it. They need to hear (at age-appropriate levels) our wrestling with our sinful nature as we ask the Lord to forgive us. If they see us argue with our spouse, they need to see how we reconcile with them and the Lord by asking for forgiveness. By doing this, we teach our children to take responsibility for their wrongdoings and confession, and we help them see that all sin hurts God and that God can forgive all sin.

So, ask God for humility and wisdom to confess your wrongs to your family in a way that brings healing. Teach your children to ask for forgiveness from each other and God by modeling it yourself. Clean out those wounds and ask the Lord to heal them.

PRAY

Father God, please do forgive me for my sins today. I confess I’d rather ignore them, but I have hurt you and others. Please clean out my sin and shame. Make me new again. Amen.

TIME TO TALK

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): What should we pray about? Are there things we do that hurt others that we need to confess and ask for forgiveness?

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand their Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 51:1-2, 4

Matthew 6:12