“For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.”         1 Peter 1:18-19

She wore five crosses. The cashier in front of me displayed the string of leather from which dangled five silver crosses. Intrigued by her jewelry, I asked the meaning of the necklace. She smirked. Each cross represented a man who’d broken her heart. In that moment, my heart broke for her. I shot up an arrow prayer asking for compassionate words to bring salve to her soul.

Softly I spoke the name on her ID tag, “Brittany, do you believe in God?” She did. I continued. “He loved you so much He sent His son Jesus to die on a cross for the world, and more specifically, you. The purpose of the cross was forgiveness – for your sins, my sins, and even the sins of those men who broke your heart.” I asked her if she’d forgiven her violators. Her response was vague. I assured her that God, who made and loved her, wanted her to grasp His love. Even though five men had betrayed her love, He never would. God desired Brittany in a beautiful way, not the way of those men. I encouraged her to get alone with her Creator, to cry out to Him for her own forgiveness, and then to forgive the five. The line mounted behind me. My time with the broken heart-ed girl ended. I prayed silently for her soul.

One cross. One Savior. Once and for all.

 

Five Crosses
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