It was a Friday so many years ago that it's too easy to forget. But on that day, my sins were paid for, my curse of eternal damnation was taken from me. Jesus took my place. Let us forever watch the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
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One of my favorite books that I've had the privilege of reading is C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. If you have not read the book, stop reading this and go read it.
The following is a letter to a friend that contains what I can't say in person but what must be shared.
Dear Friend, It wasn't a silly idea, purity never is. Purity is a lifelong goal, a journey. Purity is striving for the unattainable. But we are human. Don't look at me as if I'm so much better than you. My sins are just as black. Harder to see maybe, but they are still there - a corruption of God's creation, eating me alive. While I don't know exactly what you're going through, while in many ways you've grown far beyond your years and in ways that I haven't yet...we're still brother and sister, struggling side by side. I can't carry your load for you, but I can ease your burden. I will pray for you. You don't need condemnation right now. In fact, I don't think you'll need it for the rest of your life. Birthdays and anniversaries will be yearly reminders of God's grace, greater than all our sin. The consequences will never leave you. I'm sorry. But the consequences also bring hope and joy. Even in the midst of sin and shame, God's loving kindness pours out on His children. You are his daughter, He will not leave you. So cling fast to Him, hold on to His hope, His love, His grace, His joy. Yes, your sins are black. Mine are too. Let us be washed in His blood, shed for us on the cross. I think back to the prophet Jonah. He willingly, vehemently disobeyed God. Jonah knew God's instructions and he physically went the other way. There were consequences for Jonah. A near life and death experience that hurt others around him. Being swallowed by a great fish (between you and me I think the smell from just the fish alone would be bad enough). Three days in the fish's gut. What did he eat there? Was Jonah forced to fast, forced to recognize his utter helplessness and total dependence on God? Did he eat ABC fish food? (Ugh). Then, when all hope seemed lost, Jonah received a second chance. From the gut to the city, Jonah was given a chance. The consequences followed him, I don't think there were hot showers in the desert. He probably smelled like fish for days. But Jonah went. He used his second chance to do what God had called him to do the first time. Sadly, Jonah's story doesn't end there. He didn't learn his lesson that time, second chance and all. I don't know if he learned it the next time either, scripture doesn't say. But your story can end with the second chance. Yes, the consequences will follow you for the rest of your life BUT they need not define you. Be born again, be made new. God's grace is greater than all our sin. Jesus' death bought us new life. Will you accept His gift? I hope you will. God hasn't given up on you yet. Today is a new day, be made new today. In my prayers, -The Black Knight Maybe this is just me, maybe I'm letting myself be bothered too much by the little abnormalities of life again (like upside down outlets and the way the zarf and lid line up on a coffee cup) but I'd like to think that this particular abnormality isn't getting under only my skin.
There's a number of pop icons I could point to as examples...but that's not what I'm here to do. I don't want to point out the speck in another's eye and ignore the log in my own eye. So pray forgive the generality of this post. Today's society is obsessed with losing innocence. We're trying to grow up as fast as possible, trying to be adults before we've matured into adulthood. We're longing for the experience of this world while avoiding any consequences that experience brings. We want to lose our innocence without taking up the mantle of responsibility. And, if you ask me, it's killing our society. Young girls seeking to be sexually attractive. Young men shirking their God given duty. Teenagers jumping into the pool of adulthood while expecting that they won't get wet. And adults allow it. Parents bail their children out from grade school on. "my child is smarter than the grade you've given them." "My child would never do anything like that." Children are learning that to be loved means a environment that has no consequences. And then reality hits. You're pregnant. You're spending the night in jail. You're fired. You're seeing the world as it truly is - a dark, sinful cesspit. The playground is gone, mom and dad can't bail you out of this one. Right? Sadly, wrong. Our culture is drunk with second, third, fourth, fifth, infinite chances. Fail a class? Retake it. Points on your license? Wait a year. Done something illegal? Pay bail. Where will my generation lead us? Where will a generation that has no shred of innocence left to cherish go to for hope? Where will a society that fears consequence learn that every action has a reaction? I fear to know the answer because all I have to do is look inside and suddenly my hope is dashed, my resolve is weakened, by strength is gone. I am wretched, wicked, evil. I too have thrown away too much of my innocence. I too have avoided consequences. But despite the hopelessness of the situation, God is gracious. He is all powerful, He can right our wrongs. Still, we try His anger, we abuse His mercy while running from His justice. I fear for the consequences our actions will have. I know I have been negligent in updating my blog. Partially because live is busy and partially because I haven't had much to say lately.
But this morning, I stumbled out of bed two hours before my alarm went off. I stood there in the light from my alarm clock, wondering why it was so bright and why I couldn't hear anyone else up and about. In my befuddled state I decided that I should go back to bed. As I lay there, waiting to fall back asleep my thoughts drifted to Christmas. On Christmas morning you can find my awake and excited, long before anyone else is up, writing a letter. Sometimes I write to friends, other times to my future wife. (To my future wife, if you're reading this I'm sorry that I've spoiled the surprise). That's when this thought struck me: why do I write to my future wife? Because I love her, because I am excited to meet her, because she's my better half. Because I'm looking forward to when we're married, I've written to her now in anticipation. Isn't that, in some small way, what God has done with us? Hasn't He given His church a letter expressing His love, expressing who He is in a real, intimate way? The Bible is God's love letter to His bride, the church, written in anticipation of the marriage of Jesus Christ, God the Son. He's written to us to let us know about Him - no holds barred. The Bible reveals who God truly is. It is a letter written in anticipation and excitement. |
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