But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.

 1 John 1:9 (NCV)

The California Gold Rush that began in 1848, caused the largest mass migration in American history. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the state hoping to strike it rich. Gold-rushers would scoop up rocks and soil from the riverbeds and sift through the contents of their pans, sorting out the useless rocks from the golden nuggets. Some struck gold, but most only found useless rocks. 

Life is a lot like that. We all have personal histories filled with past experiences, previous relationships, and even habits we inherited from our families. Some of the things in our past are the gold nuggets. They are the things that teach us and help us grow. They may have been the result of mistakes, but rather than carrying the burdensome weight of regret and shame, we choose to only hold on to lessons, we move forward, and we grow. These nuggets of wisdom and joy are always the ones of value that feed our souls. 

Most of us also have plenty of not-so-Instagram-worthy moments from our pasts, too. We each have a handful of mistakes we would prefer to keep hidden. Some of those things are just useless rocks. They are the shame, the guilt, and the regrets that we hold close. We allow them to label us and define us, but they are just heavy and ugly and weigh us down. They have no value, so there’s no use holding on to them. We tend to have a hard time tossing them back, though, and in spite of our faith in God, we live our lives beneath their weight. 

If you have said yes to Jesus, you have already struck gold! Jesus cleanses you when you confess your sins. All the dirt, all the shame and guilt and ugliness, is washed away revealing the contents of your heart. And it’s a heart filled with many gold nuggets. It is filled with only the things of great value, the things of heaven. There’s no reason to hold on to the things that Jesus has already tossed aside. He wants you to hold close the golden nuggets of love and joy, faith and hope—the ones that reflect His heart, His character, His radiance. Perhaps you need to go confess and allow Jesus to sort your “rocks”. He will keep the good and toss the bad, so you can move forward in freedom. It’s as simple as that! You are loved!