On January 10, 2021, I chose to read the “Our Daily Bread” devotional. The title read “Etch a Sketch Forgiveness”. The title caught my attention and as I read it came alive. The devotion is about a young boy who had a sketch toy which he was able to use to draw lines and shapes and to create various designs. The story explains how much the little boy loved the toy but what he loved the most is when he turned his etch (his sketch toy) upside down, shook it a little and turned it right side up. According to him, this is when the magic happened. A blank screen would appear offering him the opportunity to create a new design.
This beautiful story of this little boy was used in a powerful way to remind readers of God’s forgiveness. God’s forgiveness creates a clean canvas for us to start over. Wow! I love the illustration here. This is hope and a chance of a new life with Christ leading the way.
Psalm 103:12 was used as the key verse and it says:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed His transgressions from us.”
As I continued to read, the writer asked, “How can you thank Him for separating your sins from you?” What a necessary question for me. What a wonderful prompt to help me reflect and regain focus. It is a deep personal question that everyone should seek to answer.
I can never repay God for what He has done for me. I can never compensate or seek to match His work on the cross. But I can live my life in a manner that shows that I am appreciative of His mercy, of the pain and suffering He endured for me. The humiliation and rejection He suffered, the loneliness, the persistent tempting of the Devil, the mockery of those who refused to believe that He truly was who He said He was; he endured it all for you and I.
Jesus Christ endured the unimaginable for us even when we did not care. It is imperative that we ask “How can I thank Him for separating my sins from me.” He paid our debt and today we can live debt free. Does our life reflect how deeply appreciative we are of His sacrifice, or does it reflect that we do not care about what transpired on the cross. Maybe to us, it is a boring historical story that has no bearing on our lives today.
As I think about the question and seek to identify the “how”, I urge you to do the same. Don’t let His pain be in vain.
