Can’t Unwind the Milage

I once heard a story about how police stopped a teen-age girl in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, after complaints that a car had been seen going around her neighborhood in reverse for some time. The girl told police that her parents had let her use the car, but she had put too much mileage on it. “I was just trying to unwind some of it,” she said.

That’s so funny, isn’t it? In theory, it is a great idea! I wonder how many of us would like to put life in reverse and undo something we said or did? How many of us would be glad to “unwind” some past mistake or failure? I have met far too many people over the years who carry around their past like a ton of bricks – people who ordinarily have no trouble forgiving others but who cannot forgive themselves.

The truth is, we can’t put life in reverse. We can’t unwind the milage, or the words, or the pain or hurt. But we can trust God to forgive, to bind up old wounds, and to heal. Even out of an ugly mess, God can work redemption. If we pay attention, we see this all the time.

If you are carrying around the past on your shoulders, I pray that today you would make amends where needed; but then let go. Allow God’s forgiveness and love to sink in deep. When you do, you will be set free to live differently.

Let us pray: Sometimes, O God, the hardest people to forgive are ourselves. We want to live healthy, whole lives and yet, we haven’t always lived up to our deepest convictions or even to our best intentions. And we find that in hurting others, we hurt ourselves too. Today, help us to make a new start. We give you our past, our burdens, our sins, our failures. Pour out your Spirit upon us. Bind up old wounds and set us free. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.