March 18, 2026
In college I took a counseling class and its basic understanding was that counselors were problem managers. The basic premise of the course was that problems could not be solved – they could only be managed. It is an interesting admission to say that problems won’t necessarily go away and that we need to develop the strengths to manage them. It was an extremely effective course and it’s an extremely effective form of counseling. We cannot change the past, we cannot undo what has been done, we cannot bring people back from the dead so that there can be reconciliation, we cannot force someone else to repent. These are realities.
Sin is a part of us that will never go away. Just because I have given my heart to Jesus that doesn’t mean my sinfulness has disappeared. I need help managing it. Several of the ways that I manage my sin is by worshipping, by studying scripture, by hearing the words of forgiveness, by taking communion, over and over and over again. I continually need God, and the gifts of the body of Christ to keep me always being the best I can be, and to keep me from being the worst I could be, every day.
Let us pray: Father in Heaven, for Jesus’ sake keep me close to the cross. Keep me close to worship and Your Holy Word, keep me close to Your sacraments, and surround me with faithful people. In Jesus’s Name, Amen