Am I Beyond Forgiveness? By Pete Briscoeنموونە

Is anyone beyond redemption?

I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night. —Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is on the short list of my favorite books. It’s not an easy story, but it’s a powerful one about two boys who do everything together, including kite fighting. Amir fights the other kites, while Hassan chases down their kite when the string is severed. When Hassan takes longer than usual to return, his friend goes searching for him and finds Hassan cornered in an alley. Too afraid to help, Amir cowers in the shadows as the bullies abuse his friend in cruel and perverse ways. Amir then pretended he never saw a thing, crossing a line into unforgivable territory – not by doing something sinful, but by neglecting to do something good. The two boys–once like brothers–experienced a wall in their friendship.

Another literary example is Fantine in Les Misérables, a prostitute who walks the streets, desperate and despondent. The songs sung by her character are filled with tangible hopelessness, as Fantine is convinced she’s crossed the line into the unforgivable and declares herself unlovable.

What’s your story? Are there events and choices you’ve made which haunt you, telling you that you’re beyond redemption?

In this reading plan, we’re going to silence the hopelessness that tells us we’re irredeemable. We’re going to rewrite the lie that says, “The worse your sin is, the less eligible you are for redemption.” There is no line of demarcation declaring us too filthy and too wretched for Jesus.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Just as He embraced broken people then, He’ll embrace people who sin now. So if you’re convinced that a holy God will never find you lovable, continue with me on a journey to encounter Jesus.

Lord, it’s one thing to say You came to save sinners, but it’s an entirely different thing to know my own sin and still believe that You love me. This week, soak me in the truth that sin doesn’t disqualify me from Your love. Amen.