Blot

Our sins are stronger than we are, but you will blot them out.

 - From Psalm 65

I was in a rock and country band in the early 2000s. We were led by an outstanding guitarist that wrote most of our original music. He was very gifted in his songwriting. Our bass player was a veteran of garage bands going back to the 1960s. There was me on keyboards and some vocals, and we had a female vocalist that would sing some leads and background. And then we had a drummer.

The drummer was very good. He tended to use the ride cymbal too much. But his backbeat and sense of tempo were outstanding. We never gave him any drum solos, however. Occasionally a song would call for a little drum break . . . but he would just stay in the pocket and not do anything different, or awe-inspiring.

I said to the lead guitarist, "We've got to encourage (the drummer) to do more with those solo opportunities!"

He replied with a question that has stuck with me, for over fifteen years:

What if he can't?

Wow! I had never considered that. Our entire culture is being wrecked by people getting triggered over what offends them, and expecting everybody else to read their minds. The wrong tone, the wrong words, the wrong appearance, the wrong background . . . all of these things can get you into big trouble today! You can lose your job!

Those traits are also things that people, for the most part, can't help.

My heart goes out to my daughter. I had gotten frustrated with her tone during her teen years. It became hard to talk to her. She always sounded so defensive and hostile. But then others would share with me, how much they enjoy her acerbic wit, which made me realize that I have been complimented for the same thing.

I broached the topic with her. She expressed some hurt, in people assuming she means ill toward others, when she's just conversing, her way. She said something like "Dad, that's just the way I talk. I can't help my voice."

This conversation with her, forever, will impact how I approach all people.

People don't act as we want them to. What if they can't?

This is what the Psalmist means by our sins being stronger than us. We just can't help it. That's the problem. What a weight off our shoulders!! Maybe you just can't help it!

God blots them out. Think about the act of "blotting." Our Heavenly Father will dab a little here, a little there. He'll start with the edges and dry them out, wiping away the stain of guilt, anger, and even hate.

That's a whole lot better than the world's approach, which wants to intimidate us into shape.