For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. – Psalm 51:16-17, RSV-CE
“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:13, RSV-CE
I recently heard the story of a woman dying of AIDS who clearly stated that she was going to Hell because she deserved it from the life she had led. She rebuffed all attempts to reconcile herself to God. She was insistent that God would not forgive her sins, that evil ran so deep He would summarily reject contrite repentance. This momentarily stumped the priest; then he spied a picture on the nightstand of a young girl. “Who’s that?”
The woman answered: “That’s my daughter.”
“Why do you have her picture displayed there?”
“She’s the only person that I regret leaving. I love her dearly.”
“Is there anything she could do to make you stop loving her?”
“No. I would love her no matter what she did.”
The priest smiled tenderly. “God has a picture of you on His nightstand, and loves you so much He would do anything for you, even die for your sins.”
The wall crumbled, and a sinner repented.
“Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:7-11, RSV-CE
On God’s nightstand is a picture of me. He held it throughout my childhood ignorance of Him. He continuously looked at it when I turned away from Him two years after discovering Him as more than a shadowy background figure. He gazed at it when I left the Church because of disagreements with spiritual authority. But like the father of the prodigal son, He rejoiced when I returned and repented.
On God’s nightstand stands individual pictures all people on Earth. He loves each of us, no matter what we’ve done, and he calls us to repentance and join him. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9, RSV-CE
Paul L Carter 