Failure & Forgiveness

In the town where I live, there is a large paint spill in front of a humble strip mall people drive by all day long. It’s evidence of a mistake where poured paint meant for striping and guiding drivers into correct paths accidentally spilled into a bright splattered mess startling drivers with a double-take. I’ve often wondered why the mess wasn’t cleaned up when it was spilled or later painted over with black paint to try to match the asphalt around it. I don’t know who made the mistake or if it was a team of people working on resurfacing the lot, but the error bakes in the sun in the middle of the road for all to see.

Living with sin from our past can feel like it’s so plain that everyone can see it, like that giant paint mess. We can be convinced that it’s the first thing someone thinks when they spot us or hear our name. Regret like this can be painful while enduring the gaze of judgment and condemnation.

The original plans for the parking lot never had a splatter of paint in the intersection, but something happened while creating the project. Our lives can be like that too, a deviation from the original plan. Our past can feel like that paint splatter, a gross error for all to see, but like the parable of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, God has other plans for our past regret. He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the sacrifice for our sins so that we can be forgiven and our mistakes wiped clean. It’s like our own paint splatters have been covered over with the sweet and patient rolling swipes of black paint applied by Jesus.

Friend, if you are in a state of unrest and cannot forgive yourself for your past, Jesus can. Jesus has. He is ready to wipe the slate clean and heal you. That is what a forgiven life looks like. This is a way to live without condemnation and regret.