Psalm 51... The importance of "sorry."

God help me!
Remove this stain of sin from me
because of your love for me
and your deep compassion.
I know that I have sinned,
I think about it all the time.
The shame of it stays with me.
This is nothing new... to me or you,
but I am eager to confess it to you.
You are teaching me to be honest
with myself and with you.
Bringing my sinful self to your feet
causes me to grow in trusting your mercy.

I know that you can fix this.
You can wash me clean.
Take the burden of my sin off my shoulders--
the weight of it is bringing me down
so that it's hard to take joy in anything.
Take my guilt away,
make me shiny and new.

I want to have a pure heart, God.
Really, I do.
Give me fresh resolve to follow you.
My sin has separated me from you...
come back and get me!
Remind me of the joy of being saved.
I need your Holy Spirit.
Give this obstinate brat a willing heart
to let You in.

Only then will I be a light in this world;
showing others how to truly repent,
and what it means to be forgiven.
I want to tell them what you have done for me,
I want to live my life thanking you.

I know that you don't care about
my little gifts and offerings
when my heart is not in the right place.
But oh how you smile
when I grieve over how I've grieved you...
that touches your heart.
The best gift I can give you
is a humble heart...
to say a sincere "I'm sorry"
to the One who loves me.

I trust that when the time is right,
you will straighten me up again.
Then I will serve my King with joy,
released from the burden of shame,
left only with the happy task
of pleasing my eternal Father.