“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
We had just finished our Sunday meal and retired to the living room. The grandchildren played on the floor while we talked. I love Sundays with my family—so much laughter and love.
I don’t remember how the conversation drifted toward the hole in the wall, but suddenly we were there. When my daughters were teenagers, they fought constantly. The bickering drove me nuts.
One day, after a long shift at work, I came home, tossed my things on the bed, and sat down. That’s when I saw it—a hole in the wall, the size of a teenager’s foot.
I called them in. No one confessed. They admitted they’d been in my room, fighting over a video game, and one of them had accidentally kicked the wall. They didn’t know who. That story held for years.
Now, fifteen years later, I asked again: “Who kicked a hole in the wall?”
They looked at each other, then at me.
“It was me,” my eldest said. “She made me so mad I hauled off and kicked the wall. I didn’t realize my foot would go through it.”
Then she added, “I’m sorry, Mama.”
Later that night, after the dishes were done and quiet had settled in, I thought about her confession—and why she lied to begin with. I thought about how quickly they finger-pointed, deflected, and held to the story for so long.
This isn’t new. Humanity has been shifting blame since the garden.
Adam said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
Eve said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”
—Genesis 3:12–13
Ownership is hard. But responsibility is part of repentance.
Repentance isn’t just sorrow—it’s ownership.
True repentance begins when we stop blaming, minimizing, or deflecting and say, “I did this.”
That’s the moment the heart turns. And in that moment, grace rushes in.
Jesus’ blood covers our sins, yes—but it doesn’t bypass our need to acknowledge them.
The cross is not a shortcut around responsibility; it’s the place where responsibility meets mercy.
David understood this.
“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight…”
—Psalm 51:4
He doesn’t blame Bathsheba, the palace, or his position. He owns it.
David failed many times, but he always returned to God with humility and repentance.
That’s why he was beloved—because he kept coming back with a heart laid bare.
When we confess our sins and take responsibility, it’s not shame—it’s freedom.
There is no condemnation, only restoration.
Is there something you’ve been avoiding responsibility for?
Jesus is not waiting to punish—He’s waiting to restore.
🙏 Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to say, “I did this,” and the faith to believe You’ll meet me there. Help me stop hiding, blaming, or minimizing—and instead, come to You with a heart ready for healing. Thank You for mercy that doesn’t shame but restores. Amen.
Typist for Jesus
Mustard Seeds, Modern Parables 