Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1-3; Isaiah 41:10

Casey was sitting on the edge of the deck, shoving a pointy stick into the muddy spring earth, when Grandpa sat down next to him.

“Hey, buddy. You’ve been quiet ever since your parents dropped you off to take your little brother to the hospital. Anything you want to talk about?” Grandpa asked.

Casey thrust the stick harder into the ground, sending the sticky mud splattering onto his feet. “It’s all my fault. It was my idea to race our bikes down the hill. And I was the one who teased him for not wanting to go faster. He wouldn’t have broken his arm if it wasn’t for me.” Casey leaned into Grandpa’s arm and sniffled. “I’m always doing stuff like that—teasing him and trying to get him to do things I know I shouldn’t. I—I’m a horrible person!” Casey buried his face in Grandpa’s chest and let his tears fall freely.

Grandpa put his arm around Casey’s small shoulders. “Casey, I know you feel bad, but that doesn’t mean you are bad.”

Casey lifted his head and looked at Grandpa. “What do you mean?”

“When we make poor choices, we know it’s sin and that we need forgiveness. But we also have to be careful not to allow shame to sneak in and tell us that we’re bad. Look at that stick you’re holding. It’s got mud on it, but it’s still a stick, right?”

“Well, yeah. Of course.”

“Well, shame tries to convince the stick that it’s all mud. But it’s not. It just needs someone to clean the mud off.”

“So if I’m like the stick, then I just need someone to wash my mud away?” A smile came to Casey’s face. “You mean Jesus, right?”

“You got it,” said Grandpa. “Jesus took the guilt and shame of our sin on Himself when He died on the cross. He washes us clean and makes us right with God. Because you trust in Jesus, that’s who you really are—a child of God whose sins have been washed away. Shame has no place in your life. When you feel bad about something, confess your sin to Jesus and He will forgive you. He died to take your shame off you so you could enjoy a new life with Him.”

–Tannis Oliveri