Part five: Redeemed
“You aren’t redeemed.” I remember thinking this over and over after an argument I had with Wade. I cannot for the life of me recall what we were disagreeing about, but I’d made some mistake. I was disappointed in myself and upset by Wade’s response. I went to the basement to organize some chaos (my life is a metaphor) and it felt as though these words were shouting in my brain. A history lesson of my past failures filled my mind and convinced me that I’d never actually changed or grown as a person. In that moment, I denied the salvation that had separated me from my failures.
P A U S E
The helmet of salvation is mentioned next in Ephesians. Just as a helmet protects our head, our minds can be safe and secure in the salvation that restores and protects our lives. Over the years, helmets were modified to protect not only the head, but also the eyes. Isn’t that fitting, because so many of our struggles begin with our eyes! We compare, we desire, we long for things that we see. Others have it. We want it. Our lives fall short in the balance.
Can you think of a time where you felt like you weren’t good enough? Unworthy, unholy, unnoticed, unseen? I often imagine I’m the only one that thinks so little of myself at times, but then I realize most of us go through a time of feeling “less than.” Our thoughts are flooded and we become anxious or depressed in the wake.
P R A Y
Ask God to show you the areas in your life that you are holding onto. They are not under His care and protection. This isn’t because He can’t handle them, but because you can’t release them. Does that make sense? Our past mistakes are no match for a perfect God. He has proven time and time again that He can redeem us. Shame and guilt are not from Him.
Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Pray for the courage to have faith in God and trust Him for salvation.
P R O C L A I M
Romans 8:38, 39 says “for I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I’ve been adding a footnote that states the Love of God is void when you are unkind, ungracious, unloving, and altogether less than awesome. My footnote is false. Those thoughts and behaviors are indicators of sin in my life, not the loss of my salvation.
Who did wear it best, then?
If you want to hear Job's story in a different way, check out "Where Were You" by Ghost Ship. In it, God responds to questions about sin and suffering by asking Job where he was when God created the earth. The words are taken from Job 38, which by the way is the THIRTY EIGHTH CHAPTER of the book. SO for 37 chapters, Job and is friends go back and forth, back and forth…yada yada yada…empty words when it comes down to it. He remained faithful to God, but he lost sight of all that God had done. There are no mysteries for God. Job's story shows us that no matter what we go through, our salvation can never be taken away from us!