“For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:34b

She’s Mine

When my kids were young, they did what all kids do: “dumb stuff.” They exhibited immature behavior, had limited understanding, made impulsive choices, and often had emotional responses way out of proportion to what was going on. They tested the waters of parental authority, rebelled against our decisions, and questioned our values—all because they were learning to be adults.

We corrected and instructed them, disciplining and even punishing when necessary, as all good parents do. We encouraged one another with these words: It won’t last forever. They will grow up. They will learn. What they are now is not what they will become.

This is the earthly example that helps us understand how God can see us, know everything about us, and yet remember nothing of our sins. What we were is not what we will be, once His Holy Spirit works in us. We will be transformed.

When our heavenly Father sees all the “dumb stuff” of our immaturity, He sees ahead to what we will become. He knows we are still learning. He knows we are impulsively acting on habits that belong to the old man. He knows we are emotional beings. He knows we don’t always see eye-to-eye with Him and we certainly don’t understand what He is doing. And we HATE to be told “NO”, just like kids do. It isn’t okay for us to stay in that condition, of course; He will lovingly correct it right out of us.

Just as we love our kids anyway, He loves us anyway. Just as we know our kids will grow out of this stage, He knows we will, too. When Satan accuses us before the Father, God says something like, “I love her anyway; she’s Mine.”

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).

“Father, thank You for forgiving and forgetting our sins by the blood of Your sinless Son, Jesus. We sometimes act like children, but we want to leave those things behind. Mature us in Your perfect way and timing—and help us to cooperate with Your lessons! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”