Confess

When I was 10 years old, I witnessed how my parents were fighting because of my mom's infidelity. One day mom and I went to watch a movie and when we arrived at the cinema, I saw our neighbors, my friend and his dad at that place. All the while I thought it was a coincident but I noticed that they were acting as a couple. They were closed together and his arm was on my mom's shoulder. I was so confused and my friend also didnt react to it because she was also a kid like me. Several months after that, when I was sleeping in our room a guy entered it I smelled cigarette smoke and when I opened the lights, it was our neighbor, my friend's dad, and he hurriedly went out. 

After that incident, my mom talked to me that I should not tell my dad about what I saw, if I dont want them to separate. She told me to conceal the truth from my father. When I was alone, I was crying and I was very afraid that my mom and dad will separate because I dont want to have a broken family. I did not know what to do. My heart was so heavy and I just want to confess to someone. I want to go to church and confess my sins to the priest so that the burden of secret that I have will be released.

I thought that going in to the confession room and confessing your sins to the priest is the only way that God will forgive you for the iniquities you committed. When I became an evangelical christian, I found out that you can confess your sins directly to God through prayer. We are not perfect, we commit sins and we should always be transparent in everything that we have committed. In Proverbs 28:13, it is very clear that if we do not tell the truth about our sins then we will not prosper, but if you honestly confess your sins, God will give you mercy.

After that incident, I went to the priest but there was no conviction or cleansing of my sins. I was not able to feel redeemed and at peace. When the truth was revealed to my father and our neighbor's wife, it was chaos. My mom was slapped in the face by that woman and I saw my mom cried and my dad forgave her. I heard my dad said when my mom was crying, "I forgave you and will accept you and forget what happened here."  When my mom and dad reconciled, I was relieved. The fruit of their reconciliation is the birth of my only brother. When I was kid, I was praying to have a sibling because I was jealous with my neighbors that they have a sister and brother because from 1 to 10 years old, I was the only child. But when I was 11 years old, my brother came to the world. A new life was unfolded when my brother came to the world, I was very happy to finally have a sibling and it is also a new beginning for my parents to start a new life together and to move forward and forget the past.

This experience is a testament that if you confess your sins you will receive mercy from God. God forgives you if you confess and commit to not do it again. If God forgives, who are we not to forgive others who hurt us. Confession and Reconciliation will give us peace. All glory and honor to God!