"Remorse: a miscalculation of the chances of detection"---anonymous .


Are you really sorry, or sorry you got caught? This is what my Mom asked me when I was a kid. having just been caught stealing money from the "missions jar". My Dad was in Vietnam, and me and my sister were under the supervision of just my Mom. Mom was feeling the challenge of discipline by herself. I was a boy, always getting into more trouble then I should, getting hurt, doing things I shouldn't do, you know a BOY> When my mother asked me this, of course I was really sorry, I knew what I did was wrong, and I knew I was in Big trouble. I had to go to bed every night that summer at 8:00!! I will never forget that summer, there were so many good movies and shows on TV after 8 o'clock!!:) My Mom for years after I was grown up, would apologize for that punishment, she always considered it to be to harsh. My Dad thought so too, he would always tell her that. But Mom was doing what she could, she had never been the parent that handed down punishment, that was always Dad's job. But the point is: Was I REALLY sorry for my act, or just in getting caught?

Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Were you sorry you were breaking the speed limit, or that you did not see the cop before it was to late to slow down? How about when shopping and the cashier forgot to charge you for that certain item? You realized later that she forgot to ring that one up, just missed it, I guess. What do you do? Go back and show her the mistake and pay the extra amount, or think: "Wow, I got lucky, free stuff!"? It seems in today's world, our "Moral Compass" is all messed up. Yeah, all those years ago that I got caught stealing money from Missionaries, I was sorry I got caught, but I was also sorry for stealing. Look around the world today, do you see remorse? Maybe a little, but not much. Maybe that celebrity makes a speech at a press conference where he tells the whole world how sorry he is, and apologizes to his family especially his wife for the affair that was found out. Is he really sorry, or like most of us believe, just trying to make us, and especially his family, think that he is Truly sorry? If he was truly sorry, he would have confessed a long time ago, not waited until he got caught.

It is so easy for us to be cynical when we hear of those who get caught and then start crying and apologizing to the whole world at a specially called press conference. I mean how many times have we seen it? It seems, most of the time, in a short time, those same individuals are caught again. There are very few who actually come forward before being caught and confess their sins.
Recently Josh Hamilton, baseball player for the Texas Rangers, did exactly that. He is an recovering drug and alcohol abuser, and I might add, a christian. He called a press conference to announce he had had a relapse. No one had said a word about seeing him drinking in a local restaurant, no "Breaking News, Josh Hamilton off the wagon" headlines had been written, he just needed to get this off his chest and confess to his fans, and family and friends that he had messed up. I really admire him for that. The Rangers Manager, Ron Washington, who is also a recovering drug user, said that his respect for Hamilton went up quite a bit after that. See? He was REALLY sorry for his actions, not for being caught, because he wasn't caught.

James 5:16
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Notice that one word that is very important? ......earnest........... You can 'confess' all you want after being caught, but somehow it doesn't seem quite as "earnest" as when you confess when no one already knows your sin. What happens when we are honest and come forward to confess? Others see us as vulnerable, transparent, human. Maybe they are struggling with the same type problem, and by confessing they see you as approachable and realize you could help them with their own struggles. They realize they need to come forward also and make their struggles public. Hidden sins, "faking" it, is where satan thinks he has us. Satan uses these hidden sins to taunt us, and because of them we cannot get as close to the Lord as we need to be. There seems to always be a barrier between us and God. That "barrier" is hidden sin.

So, what is the REAL definition of Remorse? Good question, let's look: " A gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs : self-reproach".

Did you notice something in that definition? It does not say a thing about being sorry or knowing you sinned. It seems even Webster has "changed with the times". I don't want to have a "rising distress arising from a sense of guilt" I want to feel sick, to know that I have sinned against the throne of God. I want to cry out to approach God's throne and ask forgiveness, because He will. Do I deserve forgiveness? No! How does He forgive? Through His Son's (Jesus Christ) sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Jesus took on EVERY SIN ever committed or ever to be committed while He was hanging on the cross. Why? For you and me.

"Remorse: a miscalculation of the chances of detection" is funny, because it is so true and how many of us go through life. The funniest things are the ones that are so true. But while we laugh at them, the truth in them sometimes cause us to see actual truth in our lives.

Let's all be remorseful, but truly remorseful. Yes, I am sorry I got caught, but I am more sorry I did the act in the first place. Lord forgive me, and use me for You.