Read 2 Samuel 12:1-13
“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’…”—2 Samuel 12:13
Despite being king and a man after God’s heart, David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his soldiers. After learning of Bathsheba’s pregnancy, David attempted to hide his sin by bringing Uriah back from the battle lines to sleep with her. When that failed, David had Uriah placed in the heat of battle then left to be killed by the enemy. Afterward, David married Bathsheba and she had the child conceived from their adultery. David seemed to have gotten away with murder, literally.
Then God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David about his sin. David offered no denials, excuses, justifications or accusations. Instead David simply acknowledged, “I have sinned against the LORD.” In today’s world of spin, blame and excuses, David’s confession is refreshingly honest and transparent. Here, David teaches us perhaps one of the greatest lessons from his life—the importance of accepting responsibility for our actions.
It’s easy to talk about our accomplishments, but admitting our failures requires humility, acknowledges our human frailty, and demonstrates our sincerity. Accepting responsibility for our sin is key to mending relationships with man and God, and clears the way to repentance and reconciliation. Our challenge, so many of us struggle with owning up to our errors by saying, “I was wrong” or, “I’m sorry” because we believe those words convey weakness. Yet, strength isn’t found in our ability to live resolutely in our wrong, but in our willingness to yield humbly in our desire to do right.
The refusal to accept responsibility can create festering wounds that never heal and leaves us with broken relationships that never mend. Conversely, accepting responsibility for our sin does wonders for healing lives and reviving relationships.
Have you wounded someone and never accepted responsibility for your actions? If so, be the agent for healing by making amends today!
Lesson to Remember: Accepting responsibility for our actions mends relationships, starting with our relationship with God.
“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
This is a powerful reminder to all of us to accept responsibility for our actions. I am grateful to brother Harley for this reminder to serve as a clarion to us as Christians. Even though we may fail, failure is not always final. I am grateful for this week’s blog.