"Sin listing"

Sometimes I fall into the trap of keeping a "sin list".

I sin.
I am overcome with guilt.
I ask God to forgive me of that sin and start all over again.

When I go a couple of days without praying (yes, it happens), I break into a cold sweat because I can't recall all the sins I've committed. What happens if I miss one? Does it just sit there in front of God like a sore thumb? That can't be good. I can imagine him standing there, tapping His foot, arms folded, asking, "What about THAT one, Darrin? Aren't you going to talk to me about THAT one?"

Jesus lived under the Old Covenant and his teaching reflected that. He didn't come to speak a message, but came to BE the message (expression) of God's love and grace toward us. Upon His death, the New Covenant became effectual. Now we are totally forgiven for ALL our sins. He atoned for our sins and we can't atone for them ourselves. Unfortunately, we think that we have to do something to "start over". Years ago, a co-worker of mine followed that line of thinking. She thought that she would land in Hell if she sinned and died before asking God to forgive her. She would struggle to remember the sins she had committed during the day. She even kept a paper "sin list" so that she could "check off" each sin in her evening prayers. What's worse, her pastor said that she couldn't ask for forgiveness in generalities. He claimed that asking for forgiveness for SPECIFIC sins was required by God. She needed to cover everything. Every little sin needed to be addressed at every opportunity.

Instead, I think Jesus taught us to recognize that we are sinners to the core and every time we sin, it confirms our "sinner status". We will never "not sin". It's part of our DNA.

Let's recognize our status and trust that He is the Forgiver that He said He was.