As far as the east is from the
west,
So far does he remove our
transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12
This does not appear
to be far enough.
The Lord knows that I
am not perfect. After I fall, I need his forgiveness so our relationship won't remain broken.
What he takes away, is gone. Gone FAR.
But a funny thing happens sometimes. After being forgiven,
I’ll go back to feeling guilty about what I've done. The remorse stops me in my spiritual
tracks, and I get stuck in the mud all over again. It sounds so silly…well, it
is silly. But I still manage to do it.
A friend told me, “I give my burdens to the
Lord. Then I run to him and snatch them back!” I can completely relate. We both know that obsessing over a sin that’s forgiven, or worrying about burdens submitted to the Lord, are just gigantic wastes of time. It's all in the right hands, and there should be no 'take backs'.
After all, how would I feel if I forgave a friend, only to have her
continually apologize? Either she didn’t hear me correctly, or didn’t
believe me. Her constant regret makes sure the air is never cleared. We won’t heal until she accepts forgiveness with all her heart. And I want her to do that!
God says to me: “It’s ok, I see your sorrow. You are forgiven.” Am I going to respond by
not believing his words? Just like my friend, it’s up to me to accept and renew my relationship with him. It does no good whatsoever to relive the sin. It's gone. I need to move on.
My sorrow, instead, can be transformed into a renewed effort to reflect
the light of Christ. No more going back and wallowing in the sin and sorrow. I was forgiven and graced to do better things than that!
God wants me to move past it all. He knows that deep down; I don't want to hurt anyone, especially him. He shows me, by his forgiveness, that our relationship is important. My acceptance of the forgiveness tells the Lord that I want to start fresh.
King David says my forgiven transgressions are gone, thrown
far away, as far as the east is from the west. Running to go find them again is such a misdirection of my energy. I want to accept this amazing
gift of love, and use it to go forward, pay it forward, and live it forward.
God has done a wonder in me by forgiving and forgetting my
sins. He even flings them far off in the distance, so I won’t see them anymore. What more can he do?
Lord, help me today to accept and cherish the forgiveness
you offer me. I come to you with a “broken and contrite heart”. (Ps. 51) That
is all you ask of me, and your grace in Jesus will make me whole. It will make us whole.
Labels: forgiveness, healing, sin, transgression
After all, how would I feel if I forgave a friend, only to have her
continually apologize? Either she didn’t hear me correctly, or didn’t
believe me. Her constant regret makes sure the air is never cleared. We won’t heal until she accepts forgiveness with all her heart. And I want her to do that!