Confess and Renounce

“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 BSB

In an article titled “Former parkrun CEO apologises for receiving undeclared funds from clothing brand supplier,” published on June 24, Nick Pearson expressed formal regret for having “an undisclosed and unapproved agreement by which he was receiving a commission from a third party supplier.” I made a huge error of judgment,” he wrote. “Not only that, I breached the trust of good people. I believe that everyone should be accountable for their actions and that includes me. During my time as CEO of parkrun, I entered into a consultancy arrangement that benefited me financially and represented a direct conflict of interest. I failed to declare this to the trustees or my colleagues. I have co-operated fully and paid parkrun all monies received under the agreement. I have let a lot of people down and I understand the disappointment and anger that will cause. Rebuilding trust will be a very long process, but I commit to doing everything I can to make this happen. I will continue to fully co-operate with parkrun’s legal representatives where required.

And you know, while it might take years or even decades for Nick to rebuild the trust with the individuals he has wronged, he did what every person should do when they have sinned against someone else.... confess and repent. But believers must take it one step further and totally renounce their sin. You see, true repentance goes beyond feeling or expressing sincere regret or remorse about your wrongdoing or sin, it’s abandoning, rejecting, and refusing to do that sin ever again no matter what steps you have to take to avoid the temptation. Not only will this allow you to “find mercy” but will open the door for you to eventually rebuild trust with the person(s) you have wronged. 

So knowing that it’s very hard and sometimes impossible to rebuild trust once it’s broken, vow to live in such a way that your integrity can never be questioned my friend. This will not only spare you heartache but those around you as well. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that trust can be easily broken but very hard to repair. Lord cause us to seek righteousness that we might never have to experience this for ourselves. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!