I Confess: I’m a Leaky Faucet

Mary in the Kitchen by Sarah Reinhard – CF104: Grace Before Meals

About two years ago, my husband replaced my kitchen faucet. The old one had been limping along, but I kept quiet about it, because I knew my husband was really busy at work and I hate to nag him about household projects.

When he got around to replacing it, instead of the simple plain Jane faucet I was expecting, he picked out the fancy-schmancy one with the extendable neck and two different spray types. It was like getting a Mercedes when I was expecting a Chevy.

That faucet started dripping a while ago. I figured out that if I turned it just so it would stop.

Well, lately, that little trick hasn’t been working quite so well and if I don’t turn it just so and then wiggle it and hold it a certain specific way, it will drip.

I appear to be the only one who can sometimes get this formula for stopping the faucet’s dripping. And sometimes I don’t get it. Sometimes the faucet drips. And drips. And drips.

Boy, is that ANNOYING. Forget about wasting water and all of that…have you ever listened to a dripping sink?

Well. I have. Just recently. It’s annoying.

I’m in my kitchen a lot, you know, and it’s often where I pray and write. As I was trying to not be distracted by the dripping and the anger it was inspiring in me the other morning, I thought of how patient God is with me.

I am guilty of sinning. Again and again. I don’t even think of anything new: I sin in the same old tired ways, a repeat offender.

Yet he waits for me, arms wide open, and forgives me completely, 100 percent. I can go to Confession as often as I can, and he will think no less of me.

Mary didn’t need to go to Confession. That might scare you away from her at first, but think about how that gives her such a better perspective on the rest of us. She can see us and see how much we long to be sin-free. She’s human; she knows what it’s like to be human. She ALSO knows what it’s like to be full of grace, and she wants us as close to her son as possible.

The way to be close to her son is to remove the stain of sin. That’s what Confession is for.

Easy for ME to say. I HATE Confession. Yep, that’s right.

But you know what? I LOVE how I feel when I leave Confession. Clean. New. Shiny. LOVED.

This week, I’m going to stop worrying about the little annoyances and take care of them with a trip to Confession. Will you join me? I’m sure Mary will help us cooperate with the graces we need to get there.

Image courtesy of MoShotz on Flickr.com.