Psalm Meditation 1154 ¶Proper 13 ¶July 31, 2022 ¶Psalm 32 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+32&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When my brothers and I had established homes of our own, we began to tell stories of our teenage indiscretions at a family meal. After each story, mom would respond with some form of, “I know.” We had tried so hard to act normal, and yet she knew. I am sure she did not know all of our indiscretions, however she knew enough. I imagine that most of us were not as sneaky as we thought, and at least one parent was not as clueless as we hoped. These confessions did not reveal our sin so much as put them out in the open for discussion, and perhaps, forgiveness. ¶The psalmist believes that God is unaware of our transgressions until we acknowledge and confess them to God. The silence of the psalmist does not keep the knowledge of the sin away from God so much as it drives a wedge of secrecy between us and God. While we may think we are keeping secrets from God we are only walling off that portion of ourselves from God’s steadfast and forgiving love. It wreaks more havoc on our bodies, minds, and spirits than even remotely keeping it from God. ¶As we confess our indiscretions and sins to God, we open ourselves to the abundant stores of love and forgiveness that God has for us. While we pretend that we are perfect and have no need of forgiveness, there is a wall of our own construction that keeps us from receiving the fullness of God. As long as we attempt to hide the harshness we carry inside toward ourselves and others, we keep it from being placed in God’s hands where it can dissipate and disappear from our lives in the steadfastness of God’s love for us. ¶July 26, 2022 ¶LCM