We Need Redemption

We had such high hopes for ourselves and others. Then sin messed it all up.

We believe in redemption but almost only in a one time way. I have salvation now; my child is saved now. We forget that we need it every day.

So our memory loss has us saying to Jesus: "Thanks, but I'll take it from here." We polish the exterior but forget that the inside will never be truly good; at least this side of eternity.

I wanted my life to be different from the day I came to Jesus. That somehow from that day there would be no more sin, no more mess ups. I believed the lie that I could keep myself good. Reality crushed that illusion.

We need a Savior all day and every day. Our children will need the same. All of us are in the same boat. Every family is messed up no matter how spiffy they look on the outside. No parent is perfect. No child is either. This life will be one tragedy, one devastating situation, one act of rebellion after another. We need redemption all day and every day.

The lies of perfection we believe are the devil's tools to disconnect us from others. Shame over what is going on behind the scenes push us to isolation and to that age old Garden of Eden behavior of covering up.

It's in these times, which are all day and every day that we need other people. In confessing our sins one to another we admit that we are not perfect. We admit that we are like everyone else. We admit that we live under the remnants of a curse. We admit that we can't be the savior in our own life or in that of our children or anyone else.

There is only one Savior. Jesus is ready to forgive us each moment; he is ready to work redemption into the cracks and crevices of our lives.

Don't believe the lies; don't hide; don't be intimidated into silence. Rip off the mask, admit the truth, and once again experience the power of redemption. Not one time but all day and every day.

Philip