The other day, my six-year-old son came running to me from the playroom with a flushed face and big crocodile tears in his eyes.
Assuming he had been wrestling around with his big brother again, I braced myself for impact as I anxiously asked, “Buddy — what’s wrong?!??”
He buried his head in the arm of my chair as he broke down into full-on sobs. I stroked and patted his little back, waiting to hear what had happened.
Eventually, through his tears he got a few words out a a time: “Mom…I’m…so…sorry!!!”
“For what?!?” I said.
“Remember that time…I broke the…the…the pirate flashlight? I’m sorry!!!”
Despite his conviction, I honestly couldn’t remember the incident at all …but I knew what he was referring to because he’s told me this story before at random intervals. Always with tears in his eyes. 😔🥺 He’s my youngest and my most sensitive child.
The supposed transgression apparently happened a few years ago when we were living in our previous house. From what I’m told, I bought each of the boys a new toy, but because my younger son liked his older brother’s toy better, he immediately threw his own flashlight to the ground, causing it to break. He couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time.
I said, “Buddy, you were so small…you didn’t even know any better.”
He began to cry again.
“Yes, Mom…I did know that it was wrong — but I did it anyway.”
I hugged him tightly…it was obvious his heart was breaking and mine was breaking for him! I looked at his quivering lip and tear-stained cheeks, and said, “Buddy, don’t worry — I forgive you…I forgave you a long time ago for that…and I don’t even remember it anymore!”
The next morning, I got up and as I was brushing my teeth, a thought hit me. It’s not a new thought by any means, but it nonetheless hit me in a very new, very freeing way…
God forgives me.
There’s been so many days that I’ve come to God in prayer, still riddled with guilt and shame over past sins.
He doesn’t literally speak back to me in prayer, but through His Word the Bible, it’s as if God is saying: I forgive you…I forgave you for that a long time ago…and I don’t even remember it!
“For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” – Hebrews 8:12
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103: 8-13
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1-4
But there is only one way to take part in the forgiveness of God — by becoming His child.
Just like my son came to me for forgiveness…if we are children of God, we can come to our Father in the same way, also!
Because “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103:13
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9.
If you are already a child of God and struggle with believing that God forgives you, I would suggest listening to a sermon called “Saved Without a Doubt” by Don Blackwell . All you have to do is click on the underlined words and it will take you straight to the video on YouTube. His message was a blessing to me and I hope will be to you as well.
Until next time…
-PWAP
