We all have those days where we make mistakes. But do we admit it? I get annoyed with myself because I shouldn’t make mistakes. We shouldn’t make mistakes. Isn’t that how we feel? And if a mistake unintentionally hurts someone, we beat ourselves up… because we aren’t supposed to make mistakes.

But the truth is, we make mistakes, but we don’t have to live with them. Redemption is admitting our mistakes and seeking forgiveness. Remember the Prodigal Son. He demanded his share of the family’s riches, left home and squandered it all, leaving him with nothing. How different the story would have ended had he not been willing to return to his father and ask for forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, and our God is always poised to offer it, if we are willing to come to Him with an open and contrite heart. And if you’re not sure that God would forgive you, take a look in your Bible. Moses killed an Egyptian in a fit of rage. David orchestrated the death of a man in order to take his wife. And Paul murdered a multitude of Christians before he accepted the love God had for him.

Human beings are sinful and broken. But Jesus came to earth to redeem us from our mistakes and our sins. He loves us as we are. Our flaws are invisible to Him, and every day is a new day to listen to the truth that can only come from God.

About the author: Previously the priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Lake Placid for 21 years, Rev. Elizabeth L. Nelson is now the Priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in LaBelle.