"You know, Stacey," he said in his soft-spoken and careful manner, "I know this is incredibly painful, but, I also know this is redeemable. I truly believe this broken stuff is going to be ok, because Christ can redeem this."
It felt trite at the time of my tears, like he was saying, "stinks today, but sunshine tomorrow," but as I drove home and tried to process before being met at the door with four busy-bodies, I asked the Lord reframe my perspective.
I think He might have something for us here in the handling of our hurts. I think He might be offering more than the "move on" or "second best" method of redemption I'm often seeking.
I just want to let it go, move on, or I want to dwell and mourn...but He wants to REDEEM it. He wants, and is ready, to redeem the horrific, ugly, painful, brokenness of this world...more than a band-aid, more than a compensation package, more than a light at the end of the tunnel.
What does it actually mean, in the face of true pain and brokenness, that Christ is our Redeemer?
Ephesians 1:7 says that we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness, richness of grace. Titus 2 says that to be redeemed is to be purified, His own possession, made zealous for His work. Psalm 130 says that in His plentiful redemption there is steady love. Psalm 107 says those who have been redeemed must say so, those He has redeemed from trouble, and Galatians 4 that we have been redeemed from the law, and therefore adopted as sons. Lamentations 3, "You came near when I called you, you took up my cause, you redeemed my life."
Just reading through all the ways God speaks of redemption in His word casts a lot of new light on my hurt.
This is revolutionary: reading what God says about our lives changes everything. I don't know why it's not always the first (second, third, fourth, fifth) place I go.
What brings me from a place of wallowing in true pain to praising the Lord for its presence is an accurate understanding of HIS redemption. What brings me from anger and despair and pain over the world and its faults, over those who have hurt me and will again, over those who are broken and continually break others, is true perspective of His redemption.
What I need for pain is forgiveness, because of HIS sacrifice. I need richness of grace. What I need is NOT for the pain to make me a victim, but for it to be at work in my purifying, as one belonging to Him.
What I need for the pain is an understanding that it brings fire to His passion and calling in my life. What the world needs in its brokenness is plentiful heapings of His steady love, redemption. What we need in our pain are the mighty testimonies of the redeemed, inspiring and encouraging us...redemption is ours.
When there is trouble, I must look for how He is redeeming me from future trouble, from past trouble, from the chains of trouble. His redemption from our broken and pain is what makes us sons and daughters, it's what adopts us. In our pain, deep pain, family, He draws near, He takes up our cause!
If He is in it...if He is near...if He showers steady love through it and draws us closer...if He's offering forgiveness and freedom and richness of grace...If He's not only transforming it, but also transforming me...
I can feel the pain with Haiti, but stop mourning. I can allow pain to encounter my children, knowing they will emerge in His hands. I can be hurt by others, but refrain from toxic self-pity. I can be shattered by the devastations of the day, but without despair. I can be in deep pain, and praise the Lord, as He asks us, too.
Because Christ can redeem this.
Are we letting Him?
So I just want to say thank you for what you write. Not only today's message but I find so often what you have written is applicable to my life. So often I have said thank you God for the fact that Stacey processes things by writing about them. Thank you!
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