I don’t know exactly WHY this thought popped into my head last night, but as I was getting ready for bed I started thinking about what it would be like if my life were a movie that I could watch. At first I thought about how cool that would be. Who wouldn’t want ot relive the great memories, right? I also know there are LOTS of good things that have happened that I have simply forgotten over the years. That would all be pretty fun to see again. But, then it occurred to me that there are just parts of my life that I’d rather not revisit. I’d rather leave that footage on the cutting room floor to be swept away never to be thought of or seen again. Aren’t we all like that? Don’t we all have regrets along the way? I’ll confess that I certainly do. It’s human nature because we’re born sinners. Try as we might, no one gets through this life without some sources of shame. So, more than wanting to see my whole life as a movie, I think I’d rather see the highlight reel. I’d rather see the beautiful moments and relive some forgotten good times. Wouldn’t that be pretty amazing?
I hope it doesn’t sound corny to say this, but in writing this I realized that Jesus came to provide believers with a cutting room floor for the sinful times in our lives. Okay, I know. It’s a bit corny, but stick with me. It’s true, right? Because Christ came, taught, was crucified, died and rose again we have the awesome gift of losing the sins of our past, present and future. If we accept and believe. Now, that’s incredible. Because of Jesus, we have the highlight reel and the rest is forgotten in Eternity. That’s not to say it’s forgotten during our lifetimes. I don’t mean that we should dwell on mistakes of our past or that we should live under a depressing cloak of guilt. That’s not the way of Christ. He has promised us forgiveness that comes by faith and trust. So, our mistakes are washed away, but I truly believe that the lessons we can take away from them need to remain. If we don’t acknowlege and repent, then we don’t move forward. If we don’t realize our wrongdoings and work to make sure we better ourselves, we don’t really let go of the mistakes themselves. I have gotten bogged down in the sadness of my own mistakes. I keep thinking that sometimes things are just not forgiveable. But, that is not faith talk. That is not faith in action. To believe fully in Christ is to know that ALL is forgiven by His sacrifice. We cannot and should not remain in the mire of our sin, but we can take valuable life lessons from our mistakes and move forward. We can live our highlight reel every day! All we have to do is accept, confess, repent and believe. How awesome is THAT?!
1 John 8-9:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.