tions, permanent stains no amount
of scrubbing will remove. We have
all sinned (see Romans 3:23), but
as the tagline from
"especially heinous." Some of our
brothers and sisters carry a cross of
shame and blame upon their backs
that they fear will never be lifted.
heart, committed adultery and had
the woman's husband killed (2
Samuel 11). An adulterous woman
was caught in the act and dragged
before Jesus to be stoned (John
8). Peter repeatedly denied Jesus
shortly after pledging his undying
allegiance (John 18). These were
no garden-variety transgressions.
Yet David prayed, "Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and put a new
and right spirit within me" (Psalms
51:10). Jesus told the adulterous
woman, "Neither do I condemn
you." As for Peter, the redemptive
exchange on the beach prompted a
blessed reconciliation between the
traitorous disciple and his Master
(John 21).
relationship. Althea lives in the shadow of the drunken car
crash that snuffed out the lives of a mother and child
debate, the sorrow of an estranged relationship, the prison term
for manslaughter. As Christians, my friends have come to Jesus,
confessed their sins, sought the forgiveness that Christ promises
and tried to make amends. But the question still lingers: