For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. – Psalm 51:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 2, 2019): Psalm 51

Kevin Freedman stole a car, and the event has haunted him ever since. The theft occurred over twenty years ago, but that hasn’t relieved the sense of guilt that he carries with him every day. Because the truth, at least as Kevin sees it, is that Kevin Freedman stole a car.

But there is more to the story. The other part of the story is that Kevin Freedman didn’t mean to steal the car. He was borrowing the car of a friend at work to go and run some errands. He found the vehicle, and it was unlocked. So Kevin got in, and although the key didn’t work exactly as it should have, with a bit of wiggling the car started. One of his errands was to pay for a traffic ticket, which he did at the police station. When Kevin got back out to the car, he couldn’t get the door to unlock. He stood there struggling with the door until a police officer walked up to him and asked what he was doing. Kevin explained that he had borrowed the car from a friend and now he couldn’t get the door to open. The officer volunteered to help them. It took them a few more minutes, but eventually, the officer got the door open. Kevin got into the car. Again the key didn’t work exactly as it should but, after about ten minutes, the car started. Kevin finished his errands, parked the car exactly where he found it, and then gave the keys back to the car’s owner.

The next day, he came to work. His friend had not arrived yet, but her car was still in the parking lot. Kevin was sure he had done something to break the car. And so he apologized profusely to his friend as soon as she arrived at work. Kevin’s friend was a little confused. She had driven her car home the night before, and nothing seemed to be wrong. It was then that the story started to come together. Another woman had reported her car stolen while Kevin was gone. Later, that woman’s car was found precisely where the owner had said she left it. The police had written off the incident believing that the woman was “a little nuts.”

Twenty years later, the owner of the car still doesn’t know the truth about what happened that day; that Kevin Freedman stole her car, albeit accidentally. And this is the source of Kevin Freedman’s guilt.

David says he knows his transgression. Specifically, he is speaking about his relationship with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. But his statement is much broader than that. We know all of the things that we have done wrong, both the intentional and the accidental transgressions. These are the things that keep us up at night and the things that seem to continue to plague us as time passes by us. These are the things that we desperately wish we could undo.

David would find forgiveness for his sins. Forgiveness is available to all of us, but sometimes, especially if there are still loose ends that we have not been able to deal with, the guilt continues. We know our sins. We know, and we feel the guilt. And because of this guilt, we understand that we are a people who stand in need of grace, and in need of forgiveness.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 13

Personal Note: Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Laurie.