Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

Have you ever made a mistake that left you feeling scared and alone? I still remember my first speeding ticket vividly. It was a Sunday night, and I was driving back to campus, windows down, enjoying some DC Talk, and trying my best to make it back to my dorm before curfew. Little did I know I would soon see those blue lights flashing behind me.
Despite using cruise control, I was clocked going 63 in a 55 zone. Those were different times, where even the freeways had their limits. I returned to my dorm feeling upset and anxious, and the first thing I did was call my mom. She reassured me, telling me not to worry too much—mistakes happen, and we would work through it together.

After getting my car checked out, we discovered my odometer was off, a small piece of relief in a sea of anxiety. When I went to court and asked for forgiveness, the judge was kind and granted me a reprieve—no points on my license, but I still had to pay the fine.
There’s a hard yet understandable truth we all face: we are all sinners. Each one of us has done things we regret, and we often find ourselves at a crossroad: should we confess our sins or try to bury them deep down? While our instinct might be to keep our transgressions hidden, they ultimately seek the light. The truth has a way of surfacing, as we see dramatically in the story of King David from Second Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

David’s troubles began when he decided to remain in Jerusalem rather than lead his army into battle. In his idleness, he fell into a web of sin, committing adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, a loyal soldier. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David attempted to cover his tracks by inviting Uriah home, hoping he would sleep with her and believe the child was his. When that plan failed, he took a sinister route, sending Uriah back to the front lines where he knew he would be killed.

For a time, David thought he had successfully hidden his sin by marrying Bathsheba after her husband’s death. However, nothing is hidden from God. Sin has a price, and God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David about his actions. At this moment, David came clean—he faced the consequences of his sin, but he also recognized God’s mercy and chose a path of praise and worship.

It’s tempting to look at David’s story and think, “At least I haven’t done anything that bad.” But the reality is, all sins—big or small—are destructive and lead to separation from God. Each one of us has felt the urge to keep our sins concealed, but the truth is, God sees everything. He knows our thoughts and actions; we cannot escape His gaze.
Even in our darkest moments, God is ready to forgive us. When we sin, we face a choice: conceal it and let guilt and shame suffocate us, or bring it into the light by confessing to God. Confession is simply us acknowledging what He already knows and stepping into the forgiveness He has graciously offered us.

True joy and freedom come when we choose to walk in truth. Today, let us choose repentance, confessing our wrongdoings and experiencing the freedom that only God can provide. After all, we’re all on a journey to be after God’s own heart.