Grace That Outruns Your Past
Well now, friend, come on up here on this ol’ front porch like you are walkin’ right into an ol’ country cabin where the kettle whistles a welcome and the smell of cinnamon bread drifts out like it’s plum been waitin’ all mornin’ long just for you to come by here. Goodness gracious, I’m just so tickled you made it over here. If you were any more welcome, that ol’ onery goose that guards my rain barrel would flap her wings and come right over and offer you her favorite patch of shade. So, git settled in real good, friend, because we’re gonna be stridin’ right on into a truth that’s sturdier than an ol’ fence post that‘s been sunk way down deep in Texas clay and sweeter than molasses poured on a warm biscuit.
Psalm 103:12 tells us, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Some folks git to carryin’ their past mistakes around like a stubborn ol’ mule draggin’ a broken plow. Their reputation gits stuck way down on the lowest moment they ever had, and the memory of it follows ‘em into every room like a lil’ ol’ woodsy critter that plum refuses to git shooed away. And the hardest part is when the person doin’ the rememberin’ is the person who plum lived through it. Forgivin’ ourselves can feel a whole lot harder than forgivin’ anybody else.
But Scripture tells a real different story here. When that paralyzed man was lowered through the roof, Jesus saw more than his physical need. He plum saw the weight of guilt sittin’ on him heavier than a sack of feed. Before healin’ his legs, Jesus said, “Young man, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20). Forgiven downright means driven away, sent off, removed. Jesus wasn’t pattin’ him on the back. He was plum cleansin’ him.
David celebrated this truth when he wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). And the Lord deepens this message with another verse. “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions” (Isaiah 44:22). God don’t just forgive. He downright erases.
If God wipes our sins from His memory, who are we to hold on to guilt and shame like an ol’ Banty rooster clutchin’ the highest perch? Confess. Repent. Release. And let God’s forgiveness settle over you like a soft rain on thirsty ground.
Father, thank You for removing my sins farther than east is from west. Help me let go of guilt and shame. Teach me to see myself the way You see me, clean and covered in Christ’s righteousness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alright then, friend, may the Lord lift the weight off your shoulders today with the gentle strength of a draft horse pullin’ a real heavy load with ease. Let His forgiveness settle into your heart like cool water fillin’ a quiet creek bed. And may His mercy rise in you with the cheerful boldness of a lil’ ol’ meadow lark greetin’ the dawn. Wherever your day carries you, let His hope warm your spirit like a potbelly stove glowin’ in a winter cabin. Go on now, friend, and be walkin’ real free in the forgiveness He has already given you.
With joy,
Gwen
