What is Redemption?
We all have said or done things which in hindsight make us cringe, inciting feelings of regret and shame. If only there was a do-over button to press all would be right again. A time machine would also come in handy! While we can wish for it, we know nothing can be changed from our past, it can only be redeemed by God. Thankfully he is in the redemption business!
The English language is full of complicated words and definitions. Sometimes we hear or use a word without fully understanding it. I’m a big word nerd so I like investigating the definition of words so I can fully comprehend them. It can add new understanding and perspective to what we think we know as it can uncover deeper meaning.
I heard Lisa Harper say this statement, “Your past is not powerful enough to dictate your future.” #HeRedeems So many of us have had unfortunate circumstances from our past decisions or the decisions of others toward us that have resulted in consequences in our lives we regret. Regret is a powerful force designed to steal our future. But understanding God’s redemption can give us new hope!
So, what is redemption? It can sound like an antiquated religious word but believe me it packs a punch! When the prefix “re” is used it means “again, or back to an original place or condition.” To redeem is “to buy back, win back, to free from the consequences of, to change for the better, to atone for a mistake, to make up for.”
Adams original sin caused humanity to be separated from relationship with God, creating a chasm that only the blood of Jesus could heal. Christ’s sacrifice “redeemed” us back into relationship with God, back to an original place or condition, freeing us from the consequences of that original sin. Colossians 1:14 “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” I’m forever grateful for His blood!
There are things that we so deeply regret, mistakes with severe consequences that we can’t seem to forgive ourselves for. The harsh words we can’t take back resulting in broken relationships, actions that destroyed a marriage, decisions made in anger that can’t be undone. We all have them. God’s redemption can reach into that regret and he can make beauty from the ashes of what was.
We can look at our pile of ashes and think it’s hopeless; it’s too late, we’ve messed it up beyond repair. But our ashes have value. In gardening, wood ash adds potassium, calcium, boron, and alkaline to the soil, nutrients plants need to be healthy. Lamentations 3:58, “O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul, You have redeemed my life” God can take the ashes in your life and fertilize your future.
Isaiah 61:3 says, “to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion, to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place ofashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness…the only power the past has over our future is the power we give it through regret. When we sit in our ashes bemoaning their existence, they keep us from moving into our future with hope and expectancy.
We are not built to carry the weight of regret. The load is too heavy and too costly to shoulder. It can cost us sleep, relationships, health and peace of mind. Our lives become weighted down in the muck. Only when we can hand that baggage over to Jesus, allowing him to carry it for us, as he applies the salve of redemption to each regret, will we be able to be free of what we cannot change.
I don’t know what you are carrying from past mistakes or hurtful situations, but I do know they are no longer your responsibility. Jesus shouldered the heavy Cross of your mistakes and sins. He doesn’t need to you try and carry it. He’s asking you to lay it down at the foot of the Cross so that he can redeem it. He can rehab your mistakes into something beautiful. He is the great fixer upper of broken things.
Father I choose to lay all of my regret and their ashes at your feet. I know only you can heal the consequences of my mistakes and sins. Only you can redeem these situations. I repent of any part I may have played in them. Bring healing and restoration to all of the broken places in Jesus name….