This weekend I was afforded the opportunity to listen to a testimony that had me in tears. First it was tears of laughter, then tears of sadness and lastly tears of joy… what a blessing to have friends that care for you!
One of the things that hit me from this meeting was a part shared about Abraham “on the spot”
Lot and Abraham was separating and Lot has chosen the well-watered plains to settle in. Abraham looked left and saw wilderness, nothing there… and then he looked right and saw desert… nothing there. But then he looked up and saw God. And God again said go. Go to a place I will show you. And he went, and again, was blessed.
God does not see what we see, and He doesn’t see it in the timeframe we see it.
If you look to your left, only wilderness.
If you look to your right, only desert…
But if you look up, only God!
However… if you read the middle of Genesis, as blessed as Abraham was, I get the idea that he often stuffed up. Twice he caused calamity in another’s kingdom or household because he lied in fear about his wife (saying that she was his sister). He was chosen and he was blessed, but he was definitely not perfect!
I am very definitely not perfect… I don’t even think of myself as a rough diamond. Mostly I see myself as a half brick. And not even a properly baked one, so I don’t have too much good to say about myself, and my ability to really stuff things up. Yet, this weekend, listening with different ears, Hebrews 10:17 just hit me in the head like a golfball on the driving range.
Your sins are forgiven, and done. Exit stage left.
It is truly as simple as that. God’s own words:
“I will not ever again remember their sins and lawless deeds!”
(Hebrews 10:17)
And as these words were rumbling in my head, God asked me. When are you coming back? Why are you running between the wilderness and the desert?
“so if your sins have been forgiven AND forgotten, why would we ever need to offer another sacrifice for sin?”
(Hebrews 10:18)
I am back to my old life of offering sacrifices that nobody asked for, especially not God. So why are you offering them? I am again sacrificing relationships and time and friendships, and worship on the altar of work. God expects me to be honorable, to be a good worker, to be trustworthy and to be diligent and give my best. But I am offering sacrifices not asked for and not required.
As I was praying about this, God reminded me of the training wheels on my daughter’s bike. Her trust shifted to the training wheels to stay up, instead of where it should have been focussed. My trust shifted. My focus was on falling, instead of on the amazing journey and freedom that is ahead. Riding with the wind aerodynamically flowing over my head!
Be blessed and keep your eyes up!
