A Fresh Start
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A Fresh Start
By Lois Parker Edstrom
We all make mistakes, don’t we? We do hurtful things without thinking about how our actions might harm some else.
At times we do something we know we shouldn’t do because it seems exciting or it looks like fun. We do it anyway, even though we know it’s not the right choice.
God gives us a conscience. That’s the part of us that knows right from wrong. It’s the part of ourselves that knows when we’ve done something hurtful.
It could be that we are unkind, take something that doesn’t belong to us, tell a lie, or disrespect our parents.
How do you feel when you’ve done something you know you shouldn’t have done? Yes, you feel bad. You think about it and wish you had made a better choice. It’s the same for all of us.
The Bible teaches us there is a way to feel better. Talk to God about what you have done and ask to be forgiven. That’s not always easy to do. It’s hard to confess that we have been hurtful. We may need to go to the person we have hurt and ask for their forgiveness.
I know I little boy who is very good at asking to be forgiven. He really knows how to do it. You can tell he is sincere and means it when he says, “I’m sorry.”
The Bible teaches, “Blessed (happy) is he whose disobedience is forgiven” (32:1).
Scripture quotations from the World English Bible
Copyright 2014, Richard Niell Donovan