Who of us has never blamed ourselves for something that went wrong? If I had only . . . I should have . . . I could have . . . Iniquities are those aspects of life that remind us of our mortality and finiteness. Some of us are so prone to self-blame that it may even be our default stance when things go wrong. But the psalmist puts our humanity into divine perspective when he asks, “If you should mark iniquities, who would be left standing?” (AP).

Blame doesn’t share very well; it likes to keep the burden to itself. When we think, “Why am I in this deep mess?” we generally don’t share the blame around. It tends to pile up on one person, and if that person is the self, that only compounds the situation. Not only am I in trouble, but it is also all my fault!

Let’s follow the psalmist’s gaze as he shifts and widens perspective. It’s not about the depth of my transgression. It’s about the depth, the height, and the breadth of God’s amazing love. “There is forgiveness with you.” We are often so slow to forgive ourselves, it becomes hard to imagine the readiness of God to forgive us. Today we are invited to relax the hold on our failures. Release them; exhale as they fall into the hands of a loving God, who knows what to do with wrongdoings and shortcomings. Words of assurance are just as important as prayers of confession in our worship liturgies. Confession: O God, our iniquities abound and overwhelm us. Assurance: Hear the good news, friends of God, there is no offense or mistake, no sin of omission or commission, no fault or failure that can separate us from the love of God who forgives.