Have you ever had a hard time admitting the wrong stuff you've done? Did you do something nice to try to cover up your wrong? Or did you just go on as though nothing had happened? What do you do when you've wronged others? Admitting wrongs and asking forgiveness is not an easy thing to do, especially if you want to look good before others.
You can try to pretend that you've done nothing wrong, but whether you admit it or not, you know your actions have offended others - either because they have told you that you offended them or because your conscience flared up within you.
Wrong is wrong and you can't cover it up forever.
You may wonder how I know so much about not admitting wrongs.
That's simple, it's because at one point in my life I didn't admit the wrongs I had done.
I would justify my actions or pretend they weren't that bad.
That solution worked well for me until I began my relationship with Jesus Christ.
Although my Bible knowledge was microscopic, it seemed that one of the first things required of me was that I had to go to all those I had offended and ask forgiveness for my actions.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hear an audible voice.
But on the inside I knew I had to make things right with others before I could move forward in my relationship with God.
For some of my victims, it had been years since I had seen or spoken to them.
Going to them and bringing up the past was not easy.
I wondered how they would accept me.
To my amazement and certainly to the amazement of those I had offended, I went back to each of them and asked forgiveness.
I did not hesitate to acknowledge and confess what I had done.
They knew, God knew, and I knew, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.
Afterwards, I felt really good.
Finally I was free from the guilt that had burdened me for so long.
What a relief! Only after I had asked forgiveness and received it from those I had offended did I realize that avoidance is not a strategy for reconciling with others.
What a great beginning for my spiritual growth.
Previously, what had not been an option for me was now becoming a preferred way of life.
At the beginning of my walk with God, my transformation process started.
The more I grow spiritually, the more I see how God is transforming my life.
To learn more about spiritual growth, spiritual transformation, and forgiveness, read Becoming God's Vessel of Honor.