Daily Devotional for October 13, 2021
Garrett’s Guilt
Garrett idly bounced a ball against the wall of the living room one Friday afternoon. Suddenly…CRASH! His father’s glass-bottled ship lay shattered on the floor. Oh no! Garrett thought. That ship belonged to Dad’s grandfather! And Mom and Dad said I’d be grounded for a week if I didn’t stop throwing the ball in the house. But his parents weren’t home from work yet, so he quickly swept up the pieces and threw them out.
That night, Garrett glanced at his Bible as he got ready for bed. He usually spent some time reading the Bible and praying each night before bed, but tonight he didn’t feel like it. God’s probably mad at me, he thought. So he jumped into bed and went to sleep instead.
At breakfast the next morning, Garrett tried to avoid his father’s eyes. “How about a game of chess today?” Dad asked. Garrett shook his head. “Checkers?” asked Dad. “Or we could shoot hoops in the driveway.”
Garrett couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “You won’t want to play with me when you know what I did,” he said, his voice trembling. Then he told Dad how he had bounced the ball and broken the ship. “I’m sorry I disobeyed,” Garrett said through tears. “Are you mad at me?”
“I’m not exactly happy about it,” replied Dad. “But I’m glad you told me. When we sin, it gets in the way of enjoying our relationships with others—and also our relationship with God. Our heavenly Father loves us and wants to have fellowship with us, which is why He sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins. When we confess our wrongs to Him, He forgives us.” Dad reached out and gave Garrett a hug. “And I forgive you too.”
“Thanks, Dad,” said Garrett. “I’m still grounded though, aren’t I?”
Dad nodded. “Yes, but even so, I hope you’ll always come to me, no matter what you’ve done, so that we can enjoy being together again. Nothing you do could ever keep me from loving you.”
Garrett thought about how his guilt had caused him to avoid talking with Dad—and with God. I have a great dad, he thought. And an even greater God!
-Jan L. Hansen
How about you?
Do you sometimes avoid a person you’ve wronged? Have you ever avoided spending time with God because you feel guilty about something you’ve done? Don’t let sin keep you from going to God because you think He’s angry with you. He’s your loving Father who sent His Son to pay the price of your sin so you could be His child. Confess your sin to Him, and He will forgive you.
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