Thank God I Am Redeemed

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So funny story, I asked for this forest green shirt from Etsy for Christmas and I absolutely loved it. It was cozy, fit just right and the message was profound. The shirt has the word “Redeemed” in a big beautiful font with a Ephesians 1:7 underneath. It was a great reminder of God’s gift of forgiveness to us. The verse reads, “ In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) Well, I would wear it a lot, and unfortunately wore it when I was using bleach. A spot of bleach got on my shirt and the spot turned a reddish-orange. Having loved the shirt so much, I bought the same one again. Believe it or not, the same thing happened…AGAIN. You’d think I would have learned my lesson the first time and never use bleach again anywhere near that shirt.

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In life, sometimes our mistakes are similar to the bleach stain in that we are still reminded of things we messed up on. I think in these moments we need to focus on Christ and what HE DID for us on the cross rather than what WE DID. Jesus is so much bigger than our past mistakes and certainly, his love for us is much greater than anything we have done.

I am a bit of a perfectionist and can be overly critical of myself. I overthink things and I can replay a situation in my head a million times, and reread a work email seven times before I actually send it. If I mess up, it can be internally crippling. I’m embarrassed and frustrated with myself that I could make such a mistake. Or if I take a trip down memory lane and remember all the stupid, silly, selfish things I did, I whisper to the Lord “I’m so sorry.” As if this is the first time God is hearing my cry of shame. One verse I am memorizing right now is “For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:11-12 (NLT). Another promise is “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (ESV). What a relief to know that God has forgiven and still will forgive us of all our sins. God doesn’t hold onto our cringe-iest moments.

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Here is a challenge for you. Remember that embarrassing thing you said? Or when you were not in a good place spiritually and really messed up? Or how about what that friend of yours said that really got under your skin? I’m challenging you (and myself) to one, forgive and two, do not dwell on these situations. If God does not throw our mistakes in our faces, well then why should we? “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.” Micah 7:18 (NLT)

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Let this be a good reminder to you not to bring up past sins of your friends and family to them. Trust me when I say it hurts deeply when someone reminds you of something stupid or bad you did years ago. That was the old me, and it has no business being with the new me. I am a new creation. Old things are passed away behold all things are new! This is one of my life verses-2 Corinthians 5:17.

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Now side note, if there is a current issue (emphasis on current) that needs to be addressed with a friend or family member, yes the Bible does say to go to them to work out your differences (Matthew 18:15). I’m more so talking about past faults that have been forgiven. For example, don’t bring up to your friend how they got wasted at your college friend’s wedding, or how they dated a jerk back in high school. I know I have a hard enough time living with the memories of my past mistakes, I certainly don’t need a reminder! I am so beyond grateful to God that my sins are washed away and that I am redeemed.

I still rock the “Redeemed” shirt with the bleach stain on it. This gives my shirt so much more meaning. To think that despite our sin, and mistakes, we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

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