Spiritual Journey Thursday - Redemption

 I look forward to Thursdays when I can publish thoughts on my spiritual journey and hear the thoughts of others on a weekly theme topic.  It has become a space for an encouraging and fortifying community to come together.  We welcome anyone who would like to join us!

This week's theme is REDEMPTION.

 

 

     Some of my favorite stories are about redemption and transformation.  I love the idea of second chances, hearing someone's backstory and feeling empathetic, making something beautiful out of something ugly or discarded, etc.  That is why I loved The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall.  I read it on the plane in one sitting on the way to visit my in-laws in Florida.  From Goodreads:

 

 It was a bitterly cold day when Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie for the foreseeable future. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service . . . working for him.

Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine. . . .

 

     I won't give away what the Junk Man had up his sleeve, or exactly how Arthur's anger dissolved into forgiveness and a sense of purpose - I'll let you discover those things.  What I will tell you is that this book will make you feel hopeful and inspired.

 

    

 

       Of course, this brings me to the ultimate story of redemption and second chances.  We have been redeemed through Jesus Christ who somehow, some way loved us with enough compassion and ferocity in all our imperfections and shortcomings that He gave us all a second chance.  A hope for a purposeful, fulfilling, everlasting life with Him.  Thank you, Lord, for taking the broken, discarded, junky pieces of our lives and transforming them into a shiny masterpiece.