The lower case "r" is not a mistake. I know I've been Redeemed ~ "in Him we have Redemption..." My redemption today is just a dim reflection of that Redemption through Jesus, but, still notable.
This morning as I drove to Radnor, I was not in a mood. When I pulled onto Otter Creek Road, I was going the speed limit, and there, as before, were the gentleman and his dog to whom I gave the stink eye last week. Now, I haven't dwelled on that event. I haven't beaten myself up and obsessed over my rudeness. But, I was not proud of my behavior. This morning, the gentleman smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. I felt redeemed.
When we walk at Radnor, my brother, Sam, and I like to speak to everyone we pass. I continue that tradition when I am alone on my walks. There is a man I see walking at Radnor every morning. He is tall. He has a regal bearing. I wonder if he was in the military. I speak to him every day, and the most I can get from him is a curt nod. This morning I saw him coming toward me, and I thought, "I just am not going to make the effort to speak. Seriously, what is the point?" But, I just can't help myself. I said, "good morning," to him, and to my amazement, he smiled and responded with a "good morning" himself. Yay!!! Another redemption.
I have a friend who, several weeks ago, sort of verbally jumped me in front of a group of people. It was not the first time it had happened. I began to feel awkward around her, and pondered what my response should be. I tried to ascertain if I was just being overly sensitive. I thought about going to a mutual friend and asking if she knew of anything I had done to cause these outbursts. I decided to just keep my mouth shut and give it some time. I've found that often if I sit quietly and wait, situations tend to work out. Sometimes, when I draw other people into a problem, it just escalates until it does not remotely resemble the original circumstance. The waiting seems to have paid off. There is no awkwardness now. In fact, I feel a closeness to her that I did not feel before. I don't know what happened to change things. I just know my relationship with her has been redeemed.
There is a couple I know. I have ambivalent feelings about them. I love them because they are God's children, but I perceive a pretentiousness in them that I don't admire. I know the good deeds they perform because they tell them. They love to drop names of the rich and famous that they know. They like to share how much money they spend on things. Sometimes, like adolescents, they share stories of their own inappropriate exploits. I believe all that comes from a place of insecurity, but while I might understand it (and emulate it at times), I don't admire it. I found myself in their presence recently, and when I left the event we were attending, I realized that I had not been gracious to them. I have no right to be that way. I did what my natural feelings encouraged me to do instead of being intentional in my behavior toward them. I made a conscious decision that night to work on my conduct. They may not have even noticed my aloofness, but I did. I will work toward redeeming my behavior, if not for them, then for myself.
There are other situations in my life that I cannot redeem. I have life situations where I deeply regret my behavior. In every instance of which I am aware, I have apologized. It may have been too little too late for those to whom I have tried to make amends, but it is still all I can do. I cannot rewrite history. I cannot unsay what I have said, undo what I have done, nor unwrite what I have written. Once I have sincerely asked for forgiveness, and if possible, made amends, I have done all that I can do. It is up to them to forgive if they can. Often, I think we fail to understand that forgiveness is for the forgiver not so much the forgiven. Forgiving can redeem a life ~ forgiving others and forgiving ourselves.
I am ultimately Redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but I live in gratitude for the small redemptions that come my way as I travel through this journey of eternity. So for today, I wish you small acts of redemption, awareness of your great Redemption, and
blessings
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