Full-Circle Moments: God Wants to Redeem Your Story

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Redemption

“He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’” 
- John 21:17 (ESV)

Throughout Scripture, we see Jesus rewriting stories of hurt to healing, taking a sinner from shame to splendor. This is redemption: God delivering His people from a broken world. The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines redemption as “the release of people, animals, or property from bondage through the payment of a price”[1]. We see God’s redemption throughout Scripture, and perhaps the most notable story is completed on the cross. Jesus’s sacrifice redeems us from sin and the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). We can now have an intimate relationship with God and have the Holy Spirit dwell inside of us. We are no longer slaves to sin because Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem us.

Jesus doesn’t stop there. He cares enough to redeem us from our every sin, not just sin in general. In John 21, we find Jesus, resurrected, making breakfast for seven of the disciples. He was with them and knew the hearts of each one. A few chapters earlier, in John 18, Peter denies Jesus three times. Peter wept when he remembered that Jesus warned him of this happening  (see Mark 14:72). Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples, denied him. Can you imagine the guilt, the shame, and the disappointment Peter felt?

But Jesus doesn’t allow Peter to stay there. In John 21, Peter declares his love for Jesus, to Jesus, three times. His heart is repentant. Jesus reminds Peter of his identity: a follower of Jesus and a shepherd for His people. He refines Peter at the start of this encounter: when Peter first heard Jesus had returned, he jumped off the boat into the water to hide. At breakfast, Peter had no choice but to work through his shame when Jesus confronted him. Now, Jesus is redeeming Peter from his sin by confronting the issue and rewriting the story to move forward. While Jesus doesn’t change the past, He helps Peter reclaim his future. One where his love for Jesus is verbalized and apparent in all that he does.

Why does Jesus redeem us? For greater healing. For His greater glory. For our good. For us to be saved from our sin. For our stories to be rewritten, not to be known as stories of sin, but instead to be remembered as miraculous, grace-filled testimonies.

In earlier posts, we’ve talked about how, with full-circle moments, God wants you to remember your identity, and how He refines your story. Now comes the redemption. Because, with God, nothing is left undone. Maybe God redeemed you from that sin. Maybe God has redeemed a relationship or your marriage. Or maybe God has redeemed a difficult circumstance that you thought was too far gone. If you haven’t seen God redeem your story yet, know that it’s coming.

My Story

January 14 has a history of being a special, contract-signing day for me.

In 2014, it was a rainy, cold Tuesday. I had a headache and 13 hours of college classes to endure. I was finally eligible for a full-tuition scholarship if one became available, but for now, I was waitlisted indefinitely. I didn’t know how I’d have the money to study abroad. I didn’t even have the motivation to make it past the first days of the semester.

But God. The day I wanted to quit my dreams was the same day I had every reason to keep going. I had half a plate of stir fry and another class to go when my phone lit up with a university number. It was my advisor. The same lady who, the night before, said there was no possible way. Except now, a scholarship became available…and the check had my name on it. To this day, I don’t know how I didn’t collapse on the floor or burst out crying. I was stunned at how God provided, and for years, that scholarship impacted my finances and my career.

This year, January 14, 2023, was something a little different. After launching my pressed flower gift shop on Etsy last August, I was discouraged that God called me to something that cost me financially. I’m not a businesswoman and, with other life transitions, my attempts to learn small business strategy slipped away from me. By January, I was ready to end it – not because God told me to, but because I wanted to.

Then, I remembered a lady named Betty that I met while serving at a church retreat in November. She was thrilled that I had a small business with pressed flowers. She thought it’d be the perfect addition to the retreat center bookstore. She offered me a contract, which I signed on January 14. The center would handle the sales and I’d get commission. I wouldn’t have to manage the business aspects. I would continue with my ministry in a way that I needed.

Yes, God redeemed my small business. But what makes it a full-circle moment is the details that God intentionally wove into this story. Close to two years ago, it was a church retreat at that center that changed my life, refreshed my soul, and gave me the perspectives I needed to endure the grief that snuck up on me when I returned home. It was also the place that provided some of the first flowers I preserved and made into a necklace; the same ones that served as a reminder of God’s faithfulness as I processed hurts I didn’t understand. It’s the same flowers from that tumultuous time that are the petals I’m now using to encourage others.

God wanted me to remember how He came through for me before. That necklace I made (one of my first) was a reminder of His goodness in providing that retreat for me. It was something I held onto when life didn’t make sense. And now, God is using the details of my flower pressing to redeem that story and use it for a greater good. He has taken me from hurting to healing, and in this journey, I now get to inspire others in the same way. My story is now my testimony and my platform to reach others.

As I signed my name and wrote the date on the contract, I remembered signing my college scholarship papers on the same day nine years prior. God wanted me to remember His goodness then and His faithfulness now. It was an opportunity for me to acknowledge and accept the blessing, no longer to only believe for it. God used both contracts to redeem my broken efforts. In school, it was my imperfections; with the business, it was my not-so-thriving attempt to attract more customers. He exchanged my sin – my pride, my striving, my ways – for His perfect ways. He worked miracles to save my story. His perfection compensated for my lack in ways I could have never imagined.

Your Turn

God’s redemption becomes apparent through our sin and His sovereignty. When we fall short, His glory is made known through His power. When we give him our best, He does better. When we’re at our end and we’ve exhausted our efforts, we can hold onto the promise that God makes all things new (see Revelation 21:5). Where we face hardship, we can trust that God reclaims that space and that situation for greater things. Just like Peter, we don’t stay stuck where we are. Redemption is here…and it is still coming.

Reflect

Where has God redeemed your story before? Where is God redeeming your story now for a greater good? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

References

1. Lau, P. (2016). Redemption. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

Pressed Not Crushed Co. Information

To purchase my pressed flower jewelry or frames, visit my Etsy shop. For custom orders, such as for wedding or special event flowers, contact me through my website here. I appreciate your support!