Irreversibly Redeemed

Hey Mom!

Wanna hear something cool and mildly disgusting? Of course you do... that's why you're here.  I have two zits that are symmetrically located on either side of my nose... pretty awesome eh?  These gemini zits are brought to you by your local final exams.  That's right folks just 3 back to back exams and I am home free!

You may have noticed that this weekend is Easter.  There are so many things I love about Easter: time with family, a long weekend and the knowledge that the last few new years resolution survivors are being crushed under the temptation of creme eggs and chocolate bunnies so all the Facebook statuses about them being better than the rest of us is going to finally come to an end.

There is one thing about Easter that I do have a bit of a struggle with... the fact that someone else had to die for me.

It's not because it doesn't paint the perfect picture of love... it does.  
It's not because I don't believe it happened... I do.  
It's not because I think I don't need to be saved...believe me I really REALLY do.

Truthfully its because of the irreversibility of the whole ordeal.  We are brought up in a society where we are challenged to make amends for the hurtful things we do.  We learn to clean up our own messes because restitution is the only way we know how to right a wrong.  But there is nothing I can do can make this "right", there is no course of action I can take that will make Jesus un-die, no deed that can undo the pain He experienced on my behalf… and that is one tough pill to swallow.  It is the admission that I am a part of the problem but have no hand in the solution.

The reason this is not a ctrl + z moment is because mercy is at odds with justice.  True justice never would have landed Christ on a cross.  Justice calls for punishment while mercy calls for compassion.  In order for us to have a long-lasting relationship with God, He had to do something permanent, something irreversible. Something had to be done about the unending cycle of repenting and turning away that fills the pages of the Old Testament.  

The irreversibility of the cross is our saving grace.  Just like there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, there is nothing we can do to lose the opportunity to be saved.  We are irreversibly redeemed.  Even on our bad days, even when we have gemini zits, even in our darkest moments, even in our doubt.

The biggest question that arises out of this line of thought is: 

 Am I living irreversibly?

What am I leaving behind me?  What impact am I having and is it lasting?  Am I serving the people around me irreversibly and without expectation?  Is irreversibility of my redemption a source of guilt or a source of hope?

That is all.