Anyone, Anytime, Any Day
If you are on social media, it’s pretty tough to avoid coming in contact with people from your past. For all the positive experiences this can create, it may also trigger some negative feelings of shame, regret, and/or remorse. We have all made decisions we aren’t proud of. Coming in contact with people who witnessed those sinful choices can be difficult. On the other hand, have you yourself been guilty of judging someone’s profession of faith based on their past? Maybe while scrolling your Facebook feed or even in-person, the thought crossed your mind: “She certainly didn’t used to be that holy” or “He was pretty wild back then.”
Instead of passing judgement, both on ourselves and on others, this should be our opportunity to praise God for the redemptive power of Jesus Christ…the revival He is performing in our lives and the lives of others. Sure, everyone’s peaks and valleys are different, but God always meets us right where we are. He is always ready to cleanse us of our sins. We need only ask for forgiveness and His answer is always a resounding “yes”. In Acts 3:19-20, Peter teaches, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (NIV) The benefit of looking at multiple translations here can help you fully understand the enormity of Christ’s work. Your sins are “blotted out” according to the English Standard Version. They are “forgiven” in the Good News Translation. No matter the version...your slate is clean!
Also notice that Peter doesn’t describe the length of the slate…or its contents. Sometimes we are plagued by thoughts of, “God could never forgive me for this.” Yes, He can and He already has. Once you accept Jesus into your heart, all of those past indiscretions have been removed from your record. Your soul has been revived. There is one point in the book of Mark that is often brought up when the forgiveness of sins is being discussed. Jesus says this about an unpardonable sin: “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:28-29 NIV) Reading the entire context of this chapter can help to clarify, but in a nutshell, this “eternal sin” is an on-going denial of Jesus. Because the Holy Spirit is actively doing God’s work here on earth, by refusing to accept the Holy Spirit into their heart, a person is effectively denying God and Jesus’s role in their own salvation. If you are seeking God’s forgiveness, you have not committed this sin. So again, I reassure you, there is nothing on your slate that God cannot wipe clean.
One last interesting point: Peter also doesn’t give us a time table, but his use of the present tense is key. Our lives are filled with age-related milestones: driving at 16, voting at 18, drinking at 21…and we all have those personal goals of, “I have to do _____ by age ____!” But, you can turn to God during any part of your life…there is no expiration date on His offer, except your own human death. It is never too late to seek forgiveness and ask for God’s revival, but do it NOW! To my fellow procrastinators, this CANNOT wait until tomorrow. And the next time you witness the redemptive power of God’s work in a fellow human or in yourself, refrain from judgement and rejoice instead.
Catherine (Cat) Garner was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Nevada when she was 10. She grew up in the Las Vegas community, then earned her BA in English and Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno and her teaching credential from UNLV. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who has taught, coached, mentored, #allthethings in public schools for over a decade. She also walks in a variety of school-related roles outside the classroom such as writing curriculum and teaching professional development classes. Her husband, Ryan, is a CPA and they have one son, Jack, and a fur-daughter, Emma. She loves worship music, shoes, a good book, Precepts Bible studies, soccer, making silly TikToks, Sally Clarkson, house plants, and yoga.