Last week a friend posted a song on her wall. I’ve listened to this song over and over. The past few years have been ones of struggle and pain and heartache and secrets. At times I truly felt like a I was losing my mind, I struggled to hold it together. I had to see that I can’t control my life. I have to let God do that . Read some of the lyrics of this song:
“So long to shame, walk through the sorrow
Out of the fire into tomorrow
So flush the pills, face the fear
Feel the wave disappear
We're comin' clear, we're born again
Our hopeful lungs can breathe again
Oh, we can breathe again”
I had to burn my ship. I had to rise up and face a new day. I had to face my fear.
We can’t live in castles of lies. God has not given us the spirit of fear. He wants us to live in His power. His love. His sound mind. Jesus came so we can have LIFE. And not just life but abundant life.
So “Step into a new day
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon our heartache, yeah
So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships
And don't you look back”

https://youtu.be/pOVrOuKVBuY

Forgiveness and Restoration

So let’s look at forgiveness and restoration from God’s point of view, shall we?
God forgave Adam and Eve but He did not ‘restore’ them to the Garden of Eden.
This world is still plunged into sin.
Actions have consequences.
God forgave Abraham for his liaison with Hagar but He didn’t restore him as the husband of one wife or remove Ishmael as his son.
The Middle East is still at war.
Actions have consequences.
God forgave Moses for murder but He didn’t restore him as Prince of Egypt.
Moses still spent 40 years in the desert learning humility.
Actions have consequences.
God forgave David for adultery with Bath-Sheba but He didn’t restore his baby’s life.
The baby still was taken.
Actions have consequences.
Jesus forgave the thief on the cross but He didn’t remove the penalty of the law of the land.
The thief still died on the cross that day.
Actions have consequences.
To claim that ‘I’m sorry’ should erase any consequences of your actions is not biblical.  Forgiveness does not and has not ever meant you erase any hurt that was caused or any results of your actions. Forgiveness is for the one who was hurt. God chooses to forgive us for HIS sake. Yes He restores us as His children. Yes He removes our sins as far as the east is from west. But He does not ever remove the consequences in this life. Only in the next.
Just some thoughts I had this morning.