A Blemished Rose

In my debut novel, Only a Glimpse, roses play a significant part in Blake Conner’s life. Roses are dear to him because they were special to his wife who died a few years before my story takes place.

In an encounter between Keedryn Reynolds (my heroine) and Blake’s daughter, Allison, they discuss a painting in his office which was painted by his wife—a crystal vase filled with beautiful roses of various colors.

“The gifted artist captured intricate detail in each petal. The painting included one blemished rose. The rest were perfect.”

Keedryn asks Blake’s daughter about the painting, and Allison shares the story of the blemished rose and why her mom painted it that way.

“She’d say this rose represents us. Blemished. But God doesn’t notice. He’ll accept us as we are if we’ll come to Him. He’ll surround us with His beauty, goodness, and love and wash away our blemishes.”

Some may feel they need to clean up their lives before they can come to Christ. But if we believe and surrender our lives to Him, the Lord welcomes us to come just as we are. If we confess our sins and follow Him, He’ll wash away those sins, and embrace us with a new life—one of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we
receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:22 (NLT)

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:9 (NLT)

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that
your sins may be wiped away.
Acts 3:19 (NLT)

Is there something in your life needing to be confessed? Do you feel you need to be perfect in order to live for Christ? Come to the Lord and allow Him to wash away your blemishes, and enter the beauty of His love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

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Photo by Jeremy Bishop - Unsplash

A Clean Heart

As a child and teen, I memorized these verses from a song we sang in church each week. This was King David’s prayer after the prophet, Nathan, confronted David with his sin. Words that became my prayer in times of confession and repentance.  

Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free Spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12 (KJV) 

David’s repentant heart cried out to God. He recognized his sin and brokenness and asked for a refreshing of joy that comes to us through salvation.

To better understand David’s prayer, I looked for clarification on two phrases: renew a right spirit within me and uphold me with thy free Spirit.

The NIV reads a steadfast spirit within me which means an established, unwavering, and loyal spirit. 

In place of thy free Spirit, the NIV states, grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Other versions read make me willing to obey you (NLT & GNB).

I’ve often sung these words after my attitude turns sour or unkind words spew from my mouth. I’m thankful God hears my cry and forgives. Also grateful for 1 John 1:9 (NIV). 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness. 

God renews my joy when I repent and turn to Him as stated in Acts 3:19 (NIV).

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,
that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

My prayer for us today is this:

Father, renew within us a pure heart. May we be established in Christ, unwavering in our faith, and loyal to You. We are grateful that you don’t give up on us. We need You as our constant companion. Fill us with the joy we experienced when we first received you into our lives. Make us willing children of obedience who follow You and Your Word. Amen.

Extend Grace

What are tangible ways to extend God’s grace to others? When I consider the Lord’s undeserved kindness toward me, I’m in awe. I cannot do anything less than share that same grace to my family, friends, and coworkers. 

When my youngest child leaves dirty dishes on the counter instead of placing them in the dishwasher, I forgive. When she squished my fresh, out-of-the-oven homemade bread as she cut a slice, I gave instructions on how to cut warm bread.

A friend, Daphne, and I get together often. A third person shared something from Daphne’s past I didn’t know. When Daphne apologized to me for her past behavior, I said, “No reason to apologize. That’s not the Daphne I know.” I offered love and kindness.

At times, I mess up and forget to extend grace. I get upset with my youngest when she leaves her personal belongings all over the sofa in the family room. And on one occasion with a coworker, instead of sharing grace, I threw up my hands and said, “Whatever. But I’m not happy about this.” (Later, I apologized. To make me happy wasn’t a part of my job description.)

Then there are times in the heat of a battle, I remember to pray and ask God for help to offer grace. When I received a promotion, Marcy accused me of climbing over everyone else to get to the top. She’d worked for the company longer, and anger consumed her. I took a position that placed me above her, and she no longer wanted to interact with me. While she criticized me, I prayed. “Lord. Help me extend grace. Keep me calm and help me respond with kindness.”

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare
(Proverbs 15:1, NLT).

I understood her frustration and didn’t argue. Instead, I sat and listened while she shared her feelings. Then I told her I was sorry and hoped to repair what had broken between us. It took two years, but when she apologized for her reaction that day, she admitted I’d done a good job in my position.

Did Marcy deserve my kindness? Bitterness filled her words. I hadn’t promoted myself. I could have argued several facts with her. But whatever I said during her heated condition would have proven nothing to her. Better for me to extend grace even though at that moment she didn’t deserve it.

Just as I don’t deserve God’s grace. But I’m so thankful He extends His love, kindness, and forgiveness to me.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others
the Good News about the wonderful grace of God
(Acts 20:24, NLT).

This Scripture describes telling others who Christ is and sharing the truth of His grace. When we walk in love, kindness, and forgiveness, we show God’s grace. People may need to see it lived out in us before they’ll hear it from our lips.

How do you extend God’s grace?

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Photo by Leah S. Terrell

Let Go and Forgive

Why is forgiving others so hard? It’s what the Lord asks us to do in His Word. But the hurt is real. The pain is deep. Are we able to let go and truly forgive?

According to the Bible we are. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Col. 3:13).

Forgiveness is our choice. We either forgive from our heart or hang on to our bitterness and resentment which often leads to anger, hatred, and sickness.

Many times over the years someone has hurt me. A friend’s snide remark, deceitfulness on the job, a supervisor who thought I was incompetent, and a friend who pushed me away are a few of the times when I needed to forgive. These events were painful, and forgiveness did not come easily. I prayed and asked the Lord to soften my heart so I could forgive. I asked Him to allow me to see these people through His eyes of love.

When we hold on to unforgiveness, we make it an idol in our lives. It can become more important than God and honoring His Word. We feed it by justifying we have every right because it hurts. But does holding on to it ease the pain or fuel it? Our unwillingness to forgive keeps our past alive, and the bondage of bitterness can destroy us and our testimony for the Lord.

The Bible says, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). One truth is that forgiving others sets us free!

When we forgive, we release the painful emotions that rob us of our joy. We let go of our past, the hurt and anger, so we can move forward in healing, faith, and love.

Whether our pain came through abandonment, betrayal, rejection, or abuse forgiving those responsible will bring healing to our hurting hearts. Forgiving those who have hurt us brings freedom!

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph. 4:31-32).

Adapted from my previously published post at www.beyondfirst.org. Used by permission.