The greatest challenge most of us face in our lives is swallowing our pride and admitting that we were wrong. It's tough duty to summon the courage to admit to others--and to God--that we fall short of our best intentions, that we sometimes make a mess of things.

Confession: More important than self-esteem

It is human nature to miss the mark of perfection. It also is human nature to convince ourselves that we really don't have to confess our shortcomings to anyone else. After all, our delicate psyches and our self-esteem might be wounded if we focused on such negative stuff.

Yet, out of the bad news of sin and separation from God and neighbors emerges the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation. God's promise, as recorded in Isaiah 1:18 and 1 John 1:7-9, offers to those who truly seek forgiveness a complete cleansing of the soul.

Forgiveness: Never in short supply

Because people are proud and stubborn, you can go to any library in the English speaking world and check out a book by Dr. Karl Menninger entitled Whatever Became of Sin?

And while you're browsing, because God is just and full of lovingkindness, you can check out the Bible and discover whatever became of forgiveness, too.

I think you'll find that both sin and forgiveness may fall out of fashion, but they are never in short supply.