“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could edit our lives the way we edit stories?” I recently asked one of my children while driving to school. “That way we could delete or change parts of our lives that we’d rather forget or that didn’t work out the way we hoped.”
My son agreed and went on reading his book while I thought about which parts of my life I’d strike out or change. Mistakes I’ve made. Words I regret. Missed opportunities.
For me one of the great joys of writing is the chance to revise. Don’t like the way a certain scene or conversation turned out in a story I’m writing? Tap a few keys and make it turn out differently–at least if it’s fiction.
Writing gives us opportunities we rarely—if ever—receive in life.
And yet, isn’t this exactly the opportunity we are given by faith in Christ Jesus?
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west,” Psalm 103:12 (NLT).
“And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new,’” Revelation 21:5 (NLT).
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun,” II Corinthians 5:17 (NLT).
To receive this new life, all we have to do is confess our need for God, ask for his forgiveness, and put our faith in Christ to save us from our sins. While we may still need to contend with the consequences of our past choices, as far as God is concerned, our mistakes have been edited out.
Or as God long ago spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again” (Isaiah 43:25 NLT).
What good news! Through faith in Christ, the record of our past mistakes can indeed be edited out. Today is an opportunity for a new beginning.
Meadow Rue Merrill, author of the award-winning memoir, Redeeming Ruth, writes from a little house in the big woods of Mid-coast Maine. She is also the author of the children’s picture book The Lantern Hill Light Parade and four other books celebrating the holidays with activities that build children’s faith. Connect at www.meadowrue.com
