Tale of a Six Year Old Sinner

"All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." -The Bible (Romans 3:23)

Sin. It's such an icky word. None of us like to think about it, and it is awful to face our own sins. However, sin is one of the common factors of being a human being. All of us have sinned.

As a child, I was very aware of my own sinful nature. Not because of a church upbringing or because someone told me about it. But because it was true. In first grade, one of my best friends had a silver ring with a charm that dangled from it. I wanted one so badly. One day in reading class, she took it off and left it on her desk. The bell rang, and she walked back to homeroom, leaving the ring on her desk. I took it, and put it on. (Man, I'm starting to feel like I was a young Schmiegle in Lord of the Rings!) I wore it with my hand tucked in my pocket, concealing the ring...and my shame.

Later that day in P.E. class, we were running laps, and I fell down hard on the pavement. I got up to walk across a grassy area to find help. With tears welling up in my eyes, I walked across the grass, and the ring fell off. My eyes were so filled with tears that I couldn't see to find it! It was gone forever. Even if I wanted to give it back, I couldn't. Ugh. What was worse, my soul felt marred by my sin, and there was nothing I could do to subdue it. I held my guilt inside for the next three years, until one night I couldn't take it any longer, and I confessed to my dear Mom, who sweetly comforted me and told me that it's not good to hold that stuff inside. Still, the guilt stayed with me.

It might sound like a silly first grade story, but committing that sin (and feeling the weight of it) was the beginning of my spiritual journey. I knew I was in need of forgiveness. My soul longed for a Savior!

(Just as a side note, I finally confessed to my friend about the ring when I was 25 years old--better late than never!)