Rewriting the Story of Our Hearts

Abraham is my favorite person to read about in the Bible. I’m always amazed at the way He walked with the Lord without the resources we have today, and yet, it’s so hard for us to trust God and believe His word. One time when I read the account of Abraham’s faith in Romans and was completely taken aback by the difference between the New Testament account of Abraham’s faith and what we see in the Old Testament. Abraham asked Sarah to lie about being his wife on more than one occasion to preserve his own life. He also slept with Hagar in order to provide a son for himself when he doubted the promise of God to produce a son through Sarah. Abraham wasn’t a perfect man, but he is heralded as the father of our faith and rightfully so. He experienced moments of doubt, but his faith persisted throughout his life. The New Testament uses him as the example of what our faith walk should be:

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in Him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” - Romans 4:20-25

I asked God about this discrepancy. I wondered why we don’t see Abraham’s struggles mentioned in this passage about his faith. He shared with me the truth of justification in Christ. When we believe in the Lord, the record of our sin and shortcoming is fully erased. Our faith in the work of Christ makes us right with God, and every wrongdoing that we submit to the finished work of the cross is erased forever. Jesus died for our sins. They are no more. Too often, we hold tight to sin as though it is a lifeline, helping us to preserve the life we’ve grown accustomed to instead of trading them in for the new abundant life that’s promised to us through our faith in Jesus. This defies the faith we profess. God desires more for us then the sin nature we cling so hardly to. He promises to give us abundant life if we just let Him in on our story.

This year, I entered 2016 with arms wide open, eager to leave the shame of misunderstandings and disappointments in 2015. Last year wasn’t all bad, but there were still things that I wanted to escape, moments that left a bad taste in my mouth, and words that I’ve fought hard not to regret. Today, I realized the scar of those memories can be beautiful. Not because I’m in denial about it all, but simply because I serve a God who loves to rewrite the stories of our hearts. Our stories are told differently when seen through heaven’s eyes and God invites us to get a glimpse of this view. He gives beauty for ashes and hope in the midst of despair. I’m a better person for the things I’ve experienced, both good and bad, because I’ve submitted them to God and they are now in good hands. I’m determined to live 2016 abiding in the Lord and believing that He is who He says He is and that I am who He says I am. The past can’t define me, because what I see is very different than what the Lord has written, and I’m choosing to let His account be the truth that defines my life. And when all is said and done, I pray, that like Abraham, my faith, and not my struggles, will be the testimony of the life I lived on earth.