Confession: I’m a bit obsessive. (Those who know me well are already laughing.) I obsess over details, whether it’s cleaning the house or the final draft of the church bulletin.
I realize this is not a desirable trait.
When it comes to the details of our sins, Martin Luther says two things:
Yes, the details of all your sins need to be confessed before God, but…
When you meet with your Confessor, focus on those that you are aware of and that trouble you.
Luther is a sharp one. He knows that we sin all the time, even in ways of which we are unaware. He also seems to have a sense that we can get a bit obsessive when it comes to confession: Have I thought of everything? Is my confession complete? What about…? In other words, we can get caught up in making sure our grocery list of sins is complete while ignoring the fact that we’re out of money for groceries!
Luther’s advice? Before your Confessor (pastor, priest) confess what you know to be sins (the ones you are aware of) and the ones that trouble you.
In my own practice of meeting with my Confessor, we usually spend the bulk of our time together on the last one: the sins that trouble me. It is these that are often the clearest window into the soul. Confessing them opens up rich avenues of exploration of how the Holy Spirit is working in my life to transform me from the miserable sinner I am into a vessel for God’s grace.
And then? Psalm 51 together, the laying on of hands, and those sweet, sweet words of forgiveness.