I'd like to share with you something that I have been studying in my Bible study, Malachi: a love that never lets go, by Lisa Harper. I have thoroughly enjoyed this study thus far, and I want to share a short snippet with you that touched my heart!
Lisa begins a section by stating that once when she was teaching on Malachi at her church, she shared a video clip of Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter in which Hester wore a red letter "A" around her neck.
Hester Prynne had had a short relationship with the pastor in town, which left her unmarried and pregnant.
{sidenote} when I think of this story, I have close friends and a very close family member who have been in this same situation (not particularly with a pastor), and I know the pain associated with this type of situation. Could you imagine the guilt Hester had, the inner disdain/joy she may have been experiencing over the birth of her child, and the humiliating emotions she held when people found out?
Anyway, after Lisa showed the clip she explained in the book that she
"pulled out a box filled with lots of big red letter on lanyards. I solemnly told the class what each letter stood for: S represented sexual sin; P represented pride; U represented unforgiveness; H represented hypocrisy; and I represented idolatry. After explaining what the letters stood for, I hung one of each from my neck. Then I just stood there quietly for a minute." (p22-23)Wow.. could you imagine the thick silence in that room? I can't.
She asks which of those letters would apply to me.. Well, many of them represent me at different times, but at the time of doing this study, it was definitely Idolatry.
No, there are no golden idols on my mantle nor do I sit outside and worship the hot summer sun.
My idols are Facebook.. Pinterest.. food.. Lost.. sometimes even my beautiful sweet family is my idol.
because unfortunately, I allow all of them sometimes to come before my God.
The God who thought of me and spun me into existence.. the God who gave me wonderful parents to raise me.. The God who placed the man I love in my life, and eventually gave me my sweet precious son, Andrew.. The God who blesses me abundantly with riches that I do not even deserve, that allow me to get on Facebook and Pinterest.. The God who blesses me so that I never miss a meal.
The God who gave me JESUS, the greatest of all my blessings.
Yes, I have scarlet letters, I have hidden sins that may not shine through to the world; however, they may be blocking God's light from shining through.
However, she continues further by adding how differently we would live and act if we had to wear our sins around our necks for all to see.
"We probably wouldn't turn up our noses at other sinners, pretending that our wrongdoings were somehow less rotten. We wouldn't be so quick to forget our tendency to wander away from God like the Israelites... And how, if we had to "wear" our sin where everyone could see it, we wouldn't need to be reminded of our desperate need for God's mercy." (23)The only thing that keeps us on this earth, and that will keep us from the flames of Hell is the faithful love and mercy of God.
Lamentations 3:22-23 reads:
"Because of the LORD's faithful love, we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say; The LORD is my portion therefore I will put my hope in Him."
Thank you dear Lord for your mercies that are new each morning.
Lyndsey
What a beautiful reminder that we all sin daily but try to hide our sins. We can't hide from God, though, and eventually our sins will come out. Thank you for this reminder to always put God first and to be mindful of our thoughts and actions. Great post!
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