David says that his sin is always before him (Psalm 51:3). I feel his pain. I can barely function when I know that my actions have hurt someone I love. How do I "un-sin" my relationship to them? I can try to undo the pain of my sin, try to fix broken relationships. But just like I can't put toothpaste back in the tube, I can't take back the hurtful words or even lack of words.

Think of it, David lived with the murder of one of his key leaders. He lived with the consequences of adultery. Though God "un-sinned" him through forgiveness, David's life was characterized by chaos and family feuds...the consequences of his sin. Yet, God calls him a man after His own heart.

How can this be? Grace, grace, God's grace. There is hope for me, too. How does God want me to tap into this amazing grace? With the sacrifice of a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:16-17) that is reflected by my thank offerings, my dependence on His love, and trust in His Help (Psalm 50:14, 15). My heart is overflowing with the renewed revelation of God's longing for me to relate to Him on the most personal level. Every time I acknowledge His faithfulness and every time I depend on Him, I am giving a thank offering in which He delights.

I think about how much I want my husband to depend on me, to trust me to meet his needs wherever possible. And I want him to know how much I love him, to tell me he sees the love I'm expressing in my behavior toward him. The more he acknowledges my love, the more I want to show him my love.

Oh my, knowing my own heart needs in my marriage, I can see more clearly why God desires to receive thank offerings from me and how those offerings actually ignite His power in my life. This is really more than I can get my hands around but it's driving me deeper into His heart.

What about you, my friend? What is God teaching you on this spiritual pathway? What is soaking in Psalm 51 revealing about your own heart? Your lessons learned will help me keep on keeping on.

In his Grip,
Sharon