Bouncing
Back
Read: 1 John 1:5–2:2
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
On
January 18, 2012, the longest winning streak in US intercollegiate varsity
sports history—252 consecutive victories—ended when Trinity College lost a
squash match to Yale. The morning after the team’s first loss in 14 years,
Trinity’s coach, Paul Assaiante, received an e-mail from a friend, a prominent
professional football coach, who wrote, “Well, now you get to bounce back.”
Ten
days later, that football coach’s team lost in one of the most widely seen
athletic events—the NFL Super Bowl. All of us must cope with defeat.
The
feeling of failure after an athletic loss mirrors our greater self-condemnation
following a spiritual collapse. How can we recover from grieving God and
others, along with disappointing ourselves? The apostle John wrote,
“If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
God forgives us because Jesus
Christ paid the price for our sins (2:2).
God’s
pardon sets us free to begin again and focus on today’s opportunity
rather than
yesterday’s defeat. His faithful cleansing allows us to start
over with a pure
heart. Today, God invites and enables us to bounce back.
When you’ve trusted Jesus and walked His way,
When you’ve felt His hand lead you day by day,
But your steps now take you another way,
Start over. —Kroll
Instead of living in the shadows of yesterday, walk in the light
of today and the hope of tomorrow.
