Thursday, November 10, 2022

Thursday: Be a Goldfish

November 10, 2022

Last night, I was practicing my driving with my dad, and I accidentally ran a red light. I was feeling so terrible about it, that I forgot to make a turn and promptly got lost. I’ve only had about twelve hours behind the wheel, but still, I was frustrated at myself for messing up. So my dad looked over at me, and quoting the wise Ted Lasso said:

“You know what the happiest animal in the world is? A goldfish. It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Lydia.”

I don’t know about you, but I beat myself up over things that happened days, months, and sometimes even years ago—things that nobody remembers but me. If you can’t tell, I’m probably the opposite of a goldfish.

But this is not how God wants us to live.

Romans 8:1-3

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

We are free from sin’s power. It no longer has any control over us. It doesn’t need to dominate our thoughts or our actions or our future. We don’t have to keep punishing ourselves for things God has already declared an end to.

Romans 6:14

Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

I have heard people say that God moves our sins far away from himself, so far he doesn’t see them anymore. However, if God sent our sins away from him, he would have to send us away too. Instead, God removes our sins from us and places them on himself, because he is the only one that can overcome our sins. Our sins no longer apply to us, we are as far away from them as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:12

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west (emphasis added).

When we mess up, it’s important to apologize to whomever we hurt, but then we can move on. Yes, our failures can impact our future, but God is the one writing our story.

Be a goldfish.

Questions:

What past mistakes have you been holding onto that you need to let go of?

Next Steps:

Next time you start shaming yourself over a past mistake, give yourself the time you need to apologize, whether that is to God, someone else, or yourself, and then move on. Choose to live from God’s grace, completely receiving his gift.

Listen to the songs So Will I and Run to the Father. Pay attention to the lyrics about our failures and how God handles them.

If you haven’t already, sign up for our special LIO Flash Fiction series that parallels the movie theme each week by texting FICTION to 419-419-0707.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for freeing me from all of my mistakes and sins. I am amazed by your incredible gift, but sometimes, I try to make up for what you have already covered. Help me as I learn to allow myself to forgive what you already have. Amen.