Today, I made a mistake.

An error while writing.

I put the wrong date.

Instead of throwing away the entire paper.

I grab some correctional liquid.

It blotted out what I did.

As I stroked the brush across the page.

It made me think about Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

The sacrifice He made for me in His day and age.

And how He didn’t shame me for my behavior.

But instead, chose to die a criminals death on the cross.

His decision whited out all the sins I’ve committed.

He took me in when I was lost.

While others wanted to cast the first stone.

Only He had the ability.

Only He was permitted.

But there was none thrown.

I fall short everyday.

Do I deserve His mercy and grace?

Does He take me to court?

No way!

Like the paper I chose to save.

Jesus did the same for me.

When He rose up out of that grave.

-Rose

White Out. Have you ever done something that you’ve regretted and wish you could take back? I have. Maybe you’ve said some words that you didn’t truly mean. It’s not a good feeling. We all make mistakes. It’s a part of being human. My personality type is a perfectionist. I tend to be really hard on myself when I mess up. This poem originated from me making a mistake while at work. I use a date stamper on my paperwork. I forgot to change the date on the stamper to the current date. I didn’t realize it until after the fact. White out is a great invention. It comes in handy when you write in something permanent. Thank you to whom ever created it. 😊(Bette Nesmith Graham, 1956)

As followers of Jesus, we aren’t to point out the sins of others because we mess up ourselves. We aren’t to sit in the judgement seat of others lives because we aren’t in a courtroom and we are not God. I have a shirt that reads, “If you bring up my past, you should know that Jesus dropped the charges.” I get quite a few compliments on it. It’s just a simple reminder that God does not condemn us. We are forgiven and free from the bondage of sin. He remembers our sins no more as far as the east is from the west.

I will admit, I have a tendency to judge someone’s situation simply because I am human. I do pray and ask God to help me to stop thinking judgmental thoughts towards others, especially knowing that I have done some things in my past and I’m a work in progress every day. If we say we love God then we are to extend that love to others no matter what. The two greatest commandments, love God and love others. God forgives, so should we. It’s definitely easier said than done, right? But when I look at my life and where I used to be, how I used to live, I’m just thankful. I don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, but He gives it to me anyway because He loves me. I try to be mindful of that when someone may offend me. I have hurt people myself and I’m thankful to be forgiven by them. Living a life of forgiveness is just easier than harboring bitterness everyday. It only rots your bones (Proverbs 14:30).

God could have easily wiped us all off the face of the earth, like in Noah’s time with the flood. He could have started all over again each time but He didn’t. He made a promise that He would never do that again. He had a plan from the beginning. He planned to have His one and only Son, Jesus who is perfect and sinless, come down to earth and take on all of our sins by dying a criminal’s death on the cross. Something that we are definitely not deserving of. I know I’m not. God did not even stop there though. In order for us to be reconciled back to Him, Jesus rose from the grave. Defeated death once and for all so that we can have life in eternity with Him after this broken world passes away. A new heaven and a new earth sounds so glorious. I look forward to it.

I am so thankful for what Jesus did for me. That He never gave up on me while I was still out living for the world. He took me in His loving, gracious, and merciful arms and cleaned me up. He made me brand new. Something I could not do for myself no matter how hard I tried. I encourage those out there who do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior to make the decision right now. No one is too far gone from His love. Accept His gracious invitation.

✝️“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.1.18.NLT