One of my favorite movies is My Cousin Vinny. One of the scenes I love is when defense attorney, Vinny Gambini, debunks the testimony of one of the prosecution’s witnesses who claimed he saw the defendants at the scene of the crime.
“So, Mr. Crane, you can positively identify the defendants, for a moment of two seconds, looking through this dirty window, this crud-covered screen, all of these trees, with all of these leaves on them, and I don’t know how many bushes.”
He eventually gets this witness to admit that he could not have clearly seen the crime scene events through the obstructions of dirt, crud, and vegetation.
I am, humankind is, imperfect – not without sin. From uttering that little white lie to purposefully omitting a key fact to speeding on the highway to spilling tea to committing even more egregious wrongs, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory (Romans 3:23). My sins are like that dirty window and crud-covered screen. They hide the truth. They blur reality. They obscure vision. They muffle Good News. They separate me from God. In Slow My Roll, I remind myself to invite God into my devotions. However, can God enter if my sins create a nasty curtain between Him and me?
I say “No.” Or, if He does enter, my sins form a hazy screen that prevents me from seeing and hearing Him clearly. But, if I am always in sin, how can God be with me in devotion or prayer or worship? As always, God provides the answer. In 1 John 1:9, God lets me know that if I offer Him my contrite heart and repentant spirit, He will forgive and purify me. That lets me know that any invitation to God must…MUST…include my confession. With that confession, God washes away the dirt and crud. That confession opens the window. That confession clears the haze. That confession lets God know that I am ready to commune with Him.
A Prayer of Invocation: Greetings Almighty Father. Thank you for this day and this time with you. I am excited about what is in store. I come before you asking for forgiveness for the sins that separate me from you[1]. There is no God like you who pardons my sins and forgives my transgressions[2]. For this mercy and grace, I thank you. As I enter this time of meditation with You, I pray for your cleansing. I pray that you open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things in Your Law[3]. And I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws[4]. Amen.
[1] Isaiah 59:2
[2] Micah 7:18
[3] Psalm 119:18
[4] Psalm 119:7
In total agreement about us all falling short. I still am a work very much in progress. I guess I best get to work on cleaning my window.