I got home only a couple of hours ago after friends from Church and I in different groups had gone around to different parts of our city putting up posters that read, ‘Your Story is Not Finished’ and stickers that read quite simply, ‘+ = <3’ or cross equals love. Two very simple messages on the surface but messages nonetheless that carry so much depth. I have been reflecting on these two and though I will talk in depth about my unfinished story in a different post, I want to present briefly my reflections on these two statements.
There is no Christianity without the message of the cross, no life, no resurrection, no message, without the cross. This message that took a whole lifetime to prepare and then run the course of three days, this message that remains as real today as it was then, this message that says, ‘here, it’s done, you don’t have to try to do it yourself, I have finished it’. It is a message of hope, of forgiveness, of love and indeed of life, abundant life. For many, the cross may have signified an end, death. Our Savior however did not stay down but gave a whole new meaning to death. The truth is, He didn’t come just to give a new meaning to death but by His resurrection, we who place our trust in Him are able to live the life that He truly wants us to and made us to live, a life of abundance, without being held down by the sins of the past that sought to burden, crush and hold us back. To know that, from the time we get that door and finally let Jesus in, He comes in and starts His beautiful work of restoration. He takes the weight of sin off us and from that point forward, we can begin to live a life of freedom, not having to keep looking back at our past, the past He has so completely cleared, removed, like the east from the west.
This message fills me with so much hope. The cross, a symbol of death and indeed the ‘device’ on which my savior was killed, becomes more than just that. It is now the resounding message of love, a father who, knowing His children could not save themselves, made the ultimate sacrifice to set us free. The Cross, an emblem of love, a love that sets me free and reminds me I can live a life of true freedom and pursue God’s plans for my life. The cross, where my unfinished story starts and continues.
I was deep in sin and thought everything lost, my life purposeless, my sin unforgiveable and then I heard His message, once more. A hope ignited, a heart healed, a life transformed, a purpose restored and a life committed forever and ever, and above all, a deep knowledge and conviction that there is so much more ahead in God’s story for me and that my story and indeed your story is not finished.
My church is doing a feature on unfinished stories. You can check it out by visiting the unfinished stories website at Unfinished Story.
Dear Future Me 