We had a good discussion in the dorm the other night about redemption. It involved the discussing of real people and events, and our inside responses to these disappointing tales.
Dare we believe in redemption? When we hear of a young girl running away from home, then living in a state of struggling rebellion? The young un-wed mother, facing a lifelong consequence of her choice? Our own messy failings?
Oh, my. Hopeless, we think. You have thrown your life away.
I dare say there is real hope. From our discussion, “God can redeem and work in that marriage. True, it may be messier. But He can use that relationship to work what He wants.”
It is only when I believe this, when I stop trying to piece together the why’s and how’s, the many bits of this puzzle of human frailty, that I can see His overarching redemption.
I got a little glimpse of it last night. This story was told with many difficult pieces, many lost dreams. But in it all was a thread of redemption. We talked about how God redeems in small ways, minute ways. His redemption is not always the "glory, hallelujah" I sometimes picture. Although I do believe in His awesome deliverance, it is not always as all-encompassing or immediate as I might hope.
I am praying that my eyes will be open and my hands will be free to receive any picture His redemptive love gives to me.
A few pictures...
...the girl finds shelter in the home of a caring single woman
...the young mother is given a loving husband
...i hear His love in the rhythm of daily life
...a dormie extends love through past hurts in her own way
This is the redemption that God is working in my world. How do you see Him?
sunset over lake erie
