Because that is our only way out. The only way out is to be forgiven. Why? Because only in the forgiveness of sin is there a tenderness and severity that can separate shame, fear, and humiliation from the way we’ve controlled it. Because the forgiveness of sin is the only thing that can possibly untangle our own pain from the hidden and idolatrous ways we’ve managed it. Our soul’s anguish from our heart’s pride: a distinction that simply isn’t available to us.
