Caring Enough to Confront
Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 12:1-7
Nathan said to David, "You are the man!" 2 Samuel 12:7
Sometimes we are almost completely blind to our own sins and shortcomings. It's so much easier to see the faults and failures of others. And sometimes it takes someone else to make us see our sin. That's how it was with David. When the prophet Nathan told him a story about a rich man who stole a poor man's lamb, David was outraged. He could clearly see what the rich man had done, but he failed to see his own sin. The prophet needed to confront David before he realized that Nathan was talking about him. In the book Caring Enough to Confront, David Augsburger talks about the importance of confronting people who live in sin. Sometimes we need to confront, and sometimes we need to be confronted. It's not easy to confront a family member, a friend, or a coworker. Sometimes it's easier to look the other way. Besides, we ourselves don't like to be confronted. When someone cares enough to confront us, often our first response is "Who do you think you are? You're not perfect either!" God calls us to confront others who are in sin, and we need to learn to do so with gentleness (Galatians 6:1). We must also be willing to be confronted when we are blind to our own sins. God wants us all to help remove the barrier of sin that keeps us far from God.
Father in heaven, make us caring enough to confront someone who is living in sin, and give us the grace to accept those who confront us. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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