Photoshop Devotional - a Five-Day Devotional Inspired by "Photoshop" From Leanna CrawfordSample

Day 5 - Eraser 

The eraser is a brush which erases pixels as you drag it across the image.

I feel like I am the queen of saying things out loud I instantly regret. Goodness, there are whole days of dialogue I wish I could erase. Not only do I wish I could have put a sock in my mouth multiple times, but also there are so many mistakes I’ve made I wish I could take back. Sometimes shame takes over and fills me with so much regret. I wish I had that good ole’ eraser tool in real life, cause it can do some real magic. 

But what if it’s not magic that I need? What if it’s a gift that’s already been given to me? There is! God says that anyone in Christ is a new creation! That means I don’t have to live my life focused on my past because He took that eraser tool to all of it! 

We have an opportunity to have a fresh start every single day. God says His mercies are new every single morning. His forgiveness knows no end. God doesn’t look at you as ruined or not good enough, He looks at you through what Jesus did on the cross for you and for me. When Jesus gave His life for us, He permanently erased our past. 

If you feel like you’ve been disqualified from God’s love because of your past, know this, the moment you asked Jesus to live in you, you became His child. You were chosen—never to be disqualified or discounted. You are part of the kingdom of God. You are loved. You are so loved. 

Honestly, sometimes when I look at my own life, I see someone who couldn’t deserve God’s love. I see my mistakes, my selfishness and all my shortcomings, but He sees His masterpiece, His child, His redeemed. No matter what anyone has told you, no matter what your past looks like, you are not disqualified from His love, and you never will be. 

We are the most beautiful on the outside when we know we are loved from the inside out. We are the most confident as people when we know we’ve been chosen by God. We are selfless when we realize it’s less about us and more about loving others. We are full of joy when we know that living loved is the best medicine. We are able to give grace when we know we’ve been giving endless mercy. We are changed from the inside out. This is living a life without “photoshop”—no need to hide, no need to be perfect. We just need to be ourselves, knowing we are loved. 

Talk It Over: 

1. Thank God for erasing your mistakes and for redeeming you! 
2. Write down the ways in which God is changing you to beautiful inside and out!