My parents own a farm along the Ohio River. Sometimes when I go to visit, I take a walk down to the riverbank. I like to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation as the mighty river moves faithfully on toward its destination.

Not everyone appreciates the beauty of the river. This is apparent in the abundance of trash that floats in the water and litters the riverbank. Practically anything that can be thrown away can be found along the Ohio River. Besides the multitude of cans and bottles, you can see furniture, automobile parts, sporting equipment, household appliances, toys and much, much more—all thrown into the river when they have outlived their usefulness.

I suppose people think, “Out of sight, out of mind.” If they can’t see it, it must be gone forever. But it doesn’t work that way. The trash they thought they had gotten rid of still exists, even if they can’t see it. There are correct ways to recycle what we can and dispose of the rest. Mankind would be much better off if everyone went through the proper channels to get rid of our garbage.

The trash along the river is like the sin in many people’s lives. The only way to properly get rid of sin is to turn it over to Jesus. If we try to ignore the sin in our lives or have it absolved in some other way than through Jesus, the trash is still there, and it won’t go away.

1 John 1:9-10 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

I don’t want my soul to look like a polluted riverbank. Perhaps we all should be more diligent in developing a habit of confession. What do we need to talk to Jesus about today?