Reconciliation of a Penitent

In my particular denomination (Episcopal), reconciliation of a penitent is one of the seven sacraments that are to be administered by the clergy of our church. The other six are Holy Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, Ordination, and Confirmation. This particular sacrament is one that I have yet to really take part in. Every Sunday as part of our service, we all kneel and say a general confession of sins and ask the Lord's forgiveness. This corporate confession is where most of us can bring our wrongdoings before God. Sometimes, however there are specific things that we might need to confess. There is an order of service in the Book of Common Prayer that can be followed where we can specifically ask for God's forgiveness. The neat thing about this is that we are not required to do this to earn his forgiveness. We already have it. However, God asks us to seek forgiveness because above all it is good for us and He loves us.

For some, Lent is a time of penitence and repentance and for others it is just about giving up chocolate, alcohol, or coffee. And for some, this season means nothing particular at all except for getting ready for spring. This year, I am learning about the freedom that comes from discipline and submitting to the authority of God. Specifically, Christy and I have constructed our financial life based on justification, rationalization, and to put it bluntly; selfishness. Most of the financial aspects of our marriage has been about us and not about the future of our entire family. We both love our children fiercely but we have been blind to the part of our lives that can do them serious harm in the future.

However, we know that there is freedom in seeking God's forgiveness and repenting of this behavior. We also know that it is the Lord's will for us to use our finances to bless our children and leave them a legacy of character, responsibility, and stewardship. We are going to be dealing with some of the consequences of our decisions for the next few years but I know that this pales in comparison to the peace of knowing that we are submitting ourselves to God.