Katie Luther Posts

Amnesty

Amnesty

By Sandra Ostapowich

For all your sins, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you were ashamed of the body the Lord gave you, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you compared your size to another woman, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you worried that you had completely messed up your life, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you dressed to tempt men, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you took pride in your modest attire, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you wished you could take back your hurtful words, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you doubt that you’re going to make ends meet, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you shamed another woman for not being as faithful as you are, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you gave a snarky response to another woman’s well-intentioned, but inappropriate, advice, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you gave bad advice, with the best of intentions, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you overlooked another woman’s pain, you are forgiven in Christ.

For allt he times you caused another woman’s pain, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you brought up another woman’s forgiven sins to shame her, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you gave up and hid in the bathroom to cry, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you beat yourself up over not being good enough, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you made bad choices, but felt you had to defend them because others were judging you, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the one-night stands and hookups, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you had sex and fooled around outside of marriage, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you’ve hated being single, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you wished you had never married your husband, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you didn’t submit, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you failed in your marriage, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you disrespected your husband, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the time(s) you got divorced, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you put yourself first, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you chose your own comfort over that of your potential children’s, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you tried to prevent conception, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you wished you weren’t pregnant, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you wished you were pregnant, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you got your period and were relieved, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you got your period and were disappointed, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you took the Pill, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you hoped the condom worked, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you’ve been jealous of other women’s fertility, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you thought you were less of a woman, because you didn’t have (as many) children as someone else, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you made hurtful comments about another woman’s large family, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you resented the children you’ve been given, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you rebelliously declared “My body, my choice!”, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you resented feeling like a broodmare, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you called another woman a broodmare, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you were not satisfied with the number of children you’ve been given, or the lack thereof, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you conceived children in less-than-ideal circumstances, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you didn’t want to have sex with your husband, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you got annoyed with the noisy children in church, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times your child(ren) embarrassed you in church, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you just wanted to be left alone for some peace and quiet, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you picked up your child too soon, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you wanted to scold another woman for her disobedient child, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you were at your wits’ end with your children, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you shame women who work outside the home, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you leave your child(ren) in tears at daycare, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you judge women who stay at home with their children, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you didn’t do family devotions, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you fed your baby from a bottle, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you breastfed too long, too much, too readily, too brazenly, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you used your words to cut someone else down, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you should’ve spoken up and didn’t, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you were a shrill bitch, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you were condescending to another woman because you disagreed with her choices, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you have been overwhelmed by all your responsibilities, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you’ve been bored with your life, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you shook your fist at God for making you a woman, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you ordered pizza instead of cooking a meal from scratch, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you grumpily cooked a meal from scratch because you just couldn’t afford packaged food, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you didn’t have a spotless home, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you lost your patience and lashed out against someone you care about, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you wondered if anyone would ever love you, you are forgiven in Christ.

For all the times you make negative assumptions about other women who live out their faith differently than you do, you are forgiven in Christ.

For thinking this Gospel is given too freely to those who haven’t demonstrated sufficient repentance, you are forgiven in Christ.

And if you don’t believe me (this is just a blog post, after all), talk to your pastor. The Lord has called that man to stand in His stead and by His command to speak His forgiveness specifically to you. Not just every Sunday, but to speak God’s forgiveness for the sins that you know and feel in your heart, the sins that Satan likes to bring up and throw at you with taunting accusations and tell you that those sins can’t possibly be forgiven. That’s a lie. So, for all the times you believed the lie that your sins are too bad to be forgiven or too small to actually be sins worth bothering your pastor about, you are forgiven in Christ, too.

Photo credit: “Redemption” by Christopher Brown, Creative Commons

3 Comments

  • KatyH

    Well said! The best thing about this post is it admits real sin and failure and real forgiveness, usually topics women do not focus on when they fight with each other (except maybe to point out their own forgiveness and freedom in the Gospel, and the sin of another).

    21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (I Cor 12)

    4Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;b 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

    8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

    13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (I Cor 13)

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