Redemption According to Dan Scott

Do you know what it's like to have a beautiful granddaughter, and have no expectations of holding her? Or to except the fact that you'll never be a part of your sons' family? Either son. I know what I've done. I know what I created. I just need a little help. Please.

Dan Scott, One Tree Hill

I have watched the TV Show One Tree Hill for years. It is a cheesy night time drama about this little town in North Carolina, which is filled with heroes, villains, triumph and tragedy - just like any good little soap town.

One of the characters on the show, Dan Scott, has been the linchpin villain from day one. He lied, cheated, stole, murdered his brother - - you name it the man has done it, thought about it or schemed to make it happen. He is one of those characters you just love to hate.

But a few seasons ago, Dan had a revelation. He let go of his ways, owned up to his mistakes and set out on a path to try and find redemption.

First, Dan tried to earn his redemption through money and fame thinking an image would change people's perseptions and he would be forgiven - that didn't work.

Then, Dan turned away from the "flash" and removed himself from everyone he loved thinking that daily penance would gain him the forgiveness he sought - but that didn't work either.

Now, Dan is trying to find redemption by integrating himself back into the lives of those he loves - but they have limited to no tolerance for him.

What Dan has yet to figure out is that redemption cannot be earned.

Often we are too much like Dan. Regardless of our sin - from lying to murder - no amount of penance or work or charm will earn forgiveness.

Forgiveness is only true forgiveness when it is freely and unconditionally given - including forgiving ourselves.

No matter how hard we work - no matter how many "good things" we tally up - we will never be free of the anchor of the sin in our lives if we do not openly ask and receive forgiveness.

The world may never forget what you do (or what Dan Scott has done) but God will forgive you if you ask and in that forgiveness you will find the ability to forgive yourself and to move forward letting go of the anchor holding you to your past.

Redemption can be a long road, but you will never start down the path if you first do not seek God's forgiveness and allow His forgiveness to generate your own.

Scripture

Acts 26:17-18

Quote

“Those of us who were brought up as Christians and have lost our faith have retained the sense of sin without the saving belief in redemption. This poisons our thought and so paralyses us in action.”Cyril Connolly

Question

Of what do you need to seek forgiveness?



Letting Go of the Pain

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14

Forgiveness – true, complete, whole forgiveness – is one of the hardest things as human beings we can do for someone else and for ourselves. And yet, it is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith and one of the keys to us be able to full accept the forgiveness Christ offers each of us.

We are called to live lives which reflect Jesus’s heart and his love. Part of that reflection is our ability to forgive and to let go of a hurt. At times, what someone says can hurt more deeply than any physical wound, and because it is internal others cannot see the injury and cannot help you find ways to heal. This is why it is important to let a person know, in a kind and gentle manner, when he or she has offended or hurt you and it is equally important to recognize the hurt and release it.

Holding onto pain or past injuries hurts no one but you. Only you suffer when you do not forgive and release the pain someone has inflicted. We must forgive quickly – recognizing the pain and allowing the hurts to be soothed by the love of Jesus.

To avoid all conflict and pain in life is impossible, but we can do our part not to allow pain and suffering to linger longer than necessary. We are not a perfect people. We make mistakes. We hurt each other and we ourselves. But – as Christians we have the ability to allow our love for each other and the love Christ has for each of us to be the soothing salve which will help to heal our broken hearts.

Scripture

colossians 3:12-17

Quote of the Day

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”

Cathrine Ponder

Question of the Day

When were you hurt or when did you hurt someone else in this past week?

God is...

 

God is grace. God is love. God is justice. God is peace. God is hope. God is joy. God is...

 

God is FORGIVENESS.

One of the greatest attributes God has is His willingness to forgive us when we go astray.

Each day we make mistakes: big mistakes and little mistakes. We sin against God and we sin against the people in our lives.

We could wallow in that sin and allow the guilt to overtake us as individuals - - many people have - - but instead we know that we can go to God and seek out forgiveness, and we can be confident in knowing that He will give it.

God is willing to grant us the freedom from our sins - to give us the forgiveness we need - we just need to go to Him and ask for it.

Being forgiven allows us to be open to the love God has for us. Forgiveness gives us the room in our soul to allow God's joy to seep into our being and it grants us the peace we need to live each day with hope for tomorrow. Forgiveness from God gives us a desire to see the rest of the world treated with justice and mercy; and to give grace to those who maybe do not deserve but who need it.

Forgiveness frees us from the bonds that Satan puts on us and allows us to look toward God free from the mistakes of our past.

Forgiveness is a mighty gift from God.

What sin are you holding on to from which God can release you?

He will set you free.

Scripture

Psalm 130

 

Quote of the Day

“At the moment at which I admitted my sin and asked for God's forgiveness, He gave me the deepest level of understanding of mercy that I could ever have imagined.” Penny Bragg

Question of the Day

How does knowing God will forgive you make you feel?

Two Paths to Forgiveness...

 

 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:15

Scripture

Colossians 3:1-17

Forgiveness is release for the oppressed - it is a freedom which can only be expressed in love and charity. Forgiveness is a hallmark of the Christian faith. To forgive someone who has hurt you, who has wronged you, is hard. At times it can feel as if there is a mountain built out of the reasons for why you cannot forgive the person, but in reality you only need one reason to forgive:

The Lord forgave you.

We, each of us, are only human. We all make mistakes. We all hurt other people - sometimes intentionally, but most of the time unintentionally. Often when someone hurts you, that person is unaware of the deep pain he or she has caused you. You carry around the pain, the hurt, the distrust, but the person who was wrong carries nothing. A big part of the reason why God calls us to forgive each other is for our own peace of mind. Because if our hearts are focused on the pain settled there we have a diminished ability to love.

If we forgive - truly forgive and let a wrong or an anger go - we are free from the core of the pain. Maybe the memory of the action does not fully recede into our minds, but the emotional drain of pain diminishes and the yolk of the burden of anger is lifted.

Forgiveness takes a heart which is fully aligned with God. Forgiveness is not a human condition - it is a divine one. Revenge, an eye for an eye, getting even - these are natural human responses. The supernatural response is to look the person in the eye who has harmed you and honestly tell that person that you forgive him or her.

Poet Oscar Wilde's motivation for forgiveness is a very human one, "Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much." His brand of forgiveness falls into the revenge is sweet category, but the theologian Lewis B. Smedes had a more divine motivation behind forgiveness. He wrote, "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. You will know true forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well."

Forgiveness is not easy. It is a discipline of the mind and the heart working together to release the chains of the pain which someone else has caused you.

If you are holding on to pain, heartache and hurt how will you ever have room for the blessings God has for you? Forgiveness is simply letting go so that you can open up to receiving more love. Let go ... and let God heal you.

Fun Fact

The acclaimed King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 mistresses or concubines as they were called back then

I'm guessing there was A LOT of forgiveness needed in Solomon's house

Question of the Day

When have you needed forgiveness the most in your life?

Crossing the Gorge

We all go through pain. We make mistakes - some big and some small - and through those mistakes we face heartache over our poor decisions. We want to go back - to start over - to begin again and wipe out the mistake - like it never happened.

Mistakes come in all shapes and sizes - lying, cheating, coveting, stealing, and so on and so on...

Some of those mistakes come at a price we feel is too high to pay.  But there are consequences for each of our actions - - some are good and some are painful - - but consequences always come with the decisions we make.. Ultimately, the mistakes which result from our choices are the sins in our lives - - but Jesus can build a bridge from our mistake to our salvation.

In Psalm 51, David - who was called 'one after God's own heart' - was suffering through the consequences of choices he made. Because of his desire for another woman, he caused the death of her husband and set his palace into turmoil. As he struggled with the mistakes of his choices and the consequences he suffered, he turned to God for comfort and healing, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

David knew he made awful mistakes, that he sinned against God, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Psalm 51:4). He recognized the sin and went to God seeking redemption and forgiveness. He claimed his choices and asked God to release the burden from him.

And God did. Although David's life wasn't perfect, and he faced many trials and suffered the consequences for his actions, he found peace with God. God released him from the sin he had committed. He cleansed him.

 

Jesus can do the same thing for you and me. We all make mistakes - we all sin against God with our choices, our actions and our thoughts - but Jesus can release you from the burden of guilt which comes with those choices.

We stand on one side of the gorge and God and His peace are on the other. Sin - our choices which lead to mistakes - separate us from God, but Jesus, through his sacrifice, is the bridge for us to be reconciled with God. Jesus is the "hyssop" which cleans us. Jesus grants each of us the joy of salvation.

Many of us carry the heavy burden of guilt from our poor choices. Often the guilt is worse than the consequence we had to endure and the guilt perpetuates the pain of the sin. But Jesus can release you from that burden - - all you have to do is ask. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

The choice is always yours. You can choose to carry the burden of guilt from your past mistakes or you can choose to turn toward Jesus and allow him to, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). And you will be forgiven.

Scripture:

Psalm 51

Fun Fact:

At more than 18,000 feet deep and 150 miles long, the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Tibet, China is regarded by some as the deepest canyon/gorge in the world, and is slightly longer than the Grand Canyon, making it one of the world's largest.

Question for the Day:

What is the coolest natural formation or preserve you have ever seen in person?