What is your hope?

Recently, a young woman approached me for counsel regarding something that had happened to her years earlier.

I don’t know all of the details, but the little I know indicates that some things that were COMPLETELY out of her control had brought some severe suffering into her life and the lives of others. But also? Some things in the situation, she undoubtedly had a CERTAIN amount of influence and responsibility for. (Isn’t that often the case in life?)

Anyway … for years, she has been CRUSHED by guilt and she feels as though she “just can’t get over it.”

She asked me:

“What if it’s MY fault? What if I did this?”

So I responded … “Let’s say that you did it ALL. It was ALL your fault. It was ALL your sin. You intentionally set out to sin against this person. You MEANT to do evil. You WANTED to hurt the other person and you did. What then?“

She just looked at me. Stared. Terrified. “I don’t know,” she replied.

I told her:

“The Cure is the same. Repentance, confessions, and forgiveness. Repentance, confession, and forgiveness. It’s the Christian walk!

This is your only hope. My only hope. THE only Hope.”

But then, of course, I added that this situation is probably NOT 100% “your fault”, is it? (She shook her head–“No, probably not.”) You didn’t WANT this horrible thing to happen, did you? (“No.”) You didn’t 100% set out to INTENTIONALLY do evil in this situation, did you? (“No.”)

But you probably did sin some. You probably made some foolish/unwise decisions. (Because no one is perfect except for God!) BUT … you are a fallen person living in a fallen world filled with fallen people. The effects of sin are everywhere. Our bodies are fragile. Life is terribly hard at times.

We are a desperate people in desperate need of a Rescuer, a Savior.
Praise God we have One!

“And there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Amen & Amen!

And blessed Sabbath to you tomorrow–

Yours,
Tara B.