The gift of a clean slate

“Love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5)

Brennan Manning’s The Ragamuffin Gospel is one of those books that I try to read on a regular basis, at least once every year or two. Manning’s story-telling, and the way he brings the grace of God to life, has always ministered deeply to me. One of my favorite stories he tells in his book is this one:

Four years ago in a large city in the far West, rumors spread that a certain Catholic woman was having visions of Jesus. The reports reached the archbishop. He decided to check her out. There is always a fine line between the authentic mystic and the lunatic fringe.

“Is it true, ma’am, that you have visions of Jesus?” asked the cleric.

“Yes,” the woman replied simply.

“Well, the next time you have a vision, I want you to ask Jesus to tell you the sins that I confessed in my last confession.”

The woman was stunned. “Did I hear you right, bishop? You actually want me to ask Jesus to tell me the sins of your past?”

“Exactly. Please call me if anything happens.”

Ten days later the woman notified her spiritual leader of a recent apparition. “Please come,” she said.

Within the hour the archbishop arrived. He trusted eye-to-eye contact. “You just told me on the telephone that you actually had a vision of Jesus. Did you do what I asked?”

“Yes, bishop, I asked Jesus to tell me the sins you confessed in your last confession.”

The bishop leaned forward with anticipation. His eyes narrowed.

“What did Jesus say?”

She took his hand and gazed deep into his eyes. “Bishop,” she said, “these are his exact words: ‘I CAN’T REMEMBER.’”

As the Psalmist writes in Psalm 103:11-12: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” From our perspective, we know that there are sins that we struggle with daily and have probably committed hundreds of times over. In God’s mind, those sins have been forgiven and forgotten, and because of Jesus we are perfect in His sight. What a gift from God!

As we consider how to love others as Jesus loves us this summer, meditate on this truth: Love keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus has lovingly forgiven us and separated our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. What would it look like for you to do the same with people in your life? What if you did not keep a mental list of all the things your spouse, your parent, your co-worker, or friend has done to you, but instead treated forgiveness the way God did? If someone will not confess their sin to you, there can be no forgiveness, but where there is confession, the act of forgiveness means choosing not to keep a record of wrongs. What a gift that is to give to another person, the gift of a clean slate and a fresh start! May God’s forgiveness towards you transform your heart so that you might be able to offer the same to others.