There are times I relive my sins, my mistakes, and my failures.  My mind pushes the repeat button and as it goes to playback I squint my eyes and tune my ears to hear the horrible things I’ve done and the consequences I’ve deserved. While I know in my heart, God forgives, my heart simply won’t let me forget.

This past weekend, while my daughter, myself, and other ladies in our family were in Asheville for a ladies’ weekend, we shopped around in some cute little stores. In one, I found some farm themed decorative pillows with various animals standing on top of a weathervane. While they were all so cute, one caught my eye and I couldn’t pass it up. It was the one with a lamb. My heart went instantly to the verse in Psalm 103:12, “He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.”

While we tend to replay our sins over and over and feel that they can never be erased or forgotten, God in his mercy and grace, sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be the Lamb of God “who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Through Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and removed from us “as far as the east is from the west”, an immeasurable distance. God’s forgiveness is unlimited and complete because Jesus became the sinless substitute for our sin. He died in our place. Through Jesus, God forgives and chooses not to remember our sins. Our unwillingness to forgive ourselves does not change God’s grace to forgive. 

So the next time, your head starts to play those past sins and failures, and your heart aches with the pain of the memories, choose to remember what God has promised and let go.  The Lamb of God died for you so you can rejoice in the new life He has given you.

© 2019 Robin R King