"Come now, let's settle this", says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool."
Isaiah 1:18 NLT
When my oldest son was six years old, he wrote on the entire side of my vehicle with a Coke tab! He didn't even tell me he did this; I just discovered it one day when the light hit it just right. He had written his name and his older sister's name and then finished off the masterpiece with some squiggly lines.
A few years later when he was eight, the same child started a fire in the kitchen trash because he wanted to see what would happen. Luckily he screamed before it got too big and I was able to put it out without any damage or anyone getting hurt.
Parents are often caught off guard like I was, by our children's "experiments," and most of the time our first reaction is to respond in anger: Maybe we yell. Maybe we give the silent treatment. Maybe we throw an adult version of a temper tantrum. We know we need to forgive, but most of the time that step comes later - almost as an afterthought.
I love that Christ does not respond to our sin in the same way that we respond to that of our children. His first response is love. He forgave us for all of our sins when He died on the cross and His blood washed us white as snow. Of course He still disciplines us when we sin and He still allows us to face the consequences of our actions. But He never responds in anger. He doesn't yell. He doesn't give the silent treatment. And He doesn't throw His own temper tantrum when we go astray. Instead He just loves us and waits for us to turn back towards Him.
The next time someone sins against you, stop and consider what Christ did for you on the cross. Remember that He paid the ultimate sacrifice to cover not only our sin, but the sin of others as well. Before you respond in anger, ask yourself, "If God can love and forgive this person, why can't I?" -CiCi-
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