My older two kids have been at VBS this week at Prestonwood.  It is funny how when I pick them up, I ask them what they did, did they have fun, etc.  Jack always says he did nothing.  Jenna’s answer is “I don’t know.”  However, as the day progresses, they have all sorts of things that they want to tell me about from VBS.  Today Jenna said they were talking about what they were thankful for in her class.  She said she was thankful for our dogs.  Jack chimes in with, “Well, I am thankful for our dogs, and our fish.  I am thankful for our sea monkeys – even though they died.  I am still thankful for them.”  It was a funny little comment, but it got me thinking.  

I am thankful for something that very recently came to fruition.  Forgiveness.  I am thankful that Christ forgave me even before I was even me.  Because he is so powerful at redeeming what was once broken,  I am able to forgive too.  Many years ago I was very broken.  Not only was my heart broken, but my spirit was broken, and my trust in something so dear to me was gone.  I walked around angry for a while.  I wrestled with God over the “why” and “how could I have been so stupid” questions for many years.  

Recently however, God has been teaching me so much about redemption.  God has reminded me over and over that he redeems things.  Not just people.  He redeems us, but he also redeems our losses.  Maybe a vision we once had.  I am not talking about a supernatural vision per se.  Just a direction you might have felt God was leading you in, and then it suddenly fell apart.  Relationships that seem beyond repair, He redeems those too.  

And so, in that vein of thinking, God has redeemed me.  My anger was able to be turned around into forgiveness.  I don’t say that light-heartedly.  It isn’t like God waved his “magic wand” over me and suddenly I became a doormat once again and said, “no big deal, I forgive you.”  It was a hard fight.  It was a get down on your knees and ask the Lord for HELP kind of fight. I won’t even claim that there isn’t still a bit of anger there.  However, I know I am being refined.  I know God is continuing to carry out the work he started in me so long ago.   The battle is the Lord’s.  

Psalm 34:22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Can I hear an Amen? (even though the sea monkeys died) )