Pink Dresses and God's Redemption

A while back, I read a book that certain of my friends were raving about and that others were ready to burn as blasphemy. Much of it bothered me and I do not recommend it at all. In fact, I don't recommend reading controversial pieces of writing out of curiosity as a general rule unless you are steadfastly fixed in your faith and sure of your theology.

However, one conversation between the main character and "God" arrested my attention.

During the sequence of events, the main character says to God, "I just can't iimagine any outcome that would justify this." God replies to him "We are not justifying it; we are rdeeming it."

Now, I know that this is something that I write about a lot, but I cannot help it! You do not know he cost of the oil in my alabaster box!

When I was a little girl, I got a pink dress that I loved. It was my favorite dress. Somehow, it got a hole in it and I thought that it was ruined forever. I remember crying my eyes out over that hole. But my father went and bought a little patch shaped like a pink and white lamb and ironed it on over the hole. I thought it made my dress even more beautiful that it was before.

God has given you your life, beautiful and perfect. But because we live in a fallen world, things happen to damage or to "ruin" our lives, either by choices we make or the actions of others. God doesn't hurt you or plan for things to hurt you (just as my father didn't tear my dress or plan for it to happen). But when tears happen, he works the damage into part of the final, beautiful design.

That hole was not part of the plan for my dress. It should not have happened and, in a sense, was not justifiable. But it was redeemable and became the thing I loved most about the dress. In fact, the fixing of the dress became one of my favorite memories. I like to tell people about it.

Satan can't ruin your life. Any tear he makes, any pain he causes, any mistake that you make will become part of the good design for your life if you will let Jesus Christ have it. The pain or the mistake may not be justifiable or even understandable, but it's redeemable. It can be bought back and made beautiful. "Look what my father did for me!" you will say.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. Joel 2:25