When I gave my sin and the control of the rest of my life to Jesus Christ in March of 1988, I wanted to wear something that symbolized the permanence and importance of that decision just for me. I saw people wearing a cross around their neck and yet I didn't know what that meant to them. Is it a piece of jewelry that is a cool thing to wear or is it a clear representation of a new life that has gotten a restart on the earth and heaven beyond?
I wanted to make sure that what I had for myself was an unmistakable proclamation of the spiritual transformation that took place in my life. I drove to a local Christian bookstore that had these kind of symbols. Since I was single, I decided a ring on my left ring finger would be perfect. I looked at the different types of rings and found the perfect one.
I wore that ring every day for many years until my weight had gotten so high that the ring no longer fit on my finger. I put it someplace safe and have taken it out from time to time to look at it.
It's a sterling silver ring. You may already know that silver is the softest metal and cannot be enlarged because it will break. I've had goals of losing weight just to be able to fit in that ring but those goals never worked out. I never lost the weight and the ring was beginning to tarnish.
With all that's been going on in my crazy life, I decided to pull out my ring yesterday. Even though it was tarnished I put it on my finger. It still doesn't fit. I still have to lose more weight. But I felt a sense to put it on my finger when I went to Bible study. During the worship, I was feeling something because I had my arms hugging myself. As the music played I began to cry again. I don't know what happened but when I sat back down at our table and I glanced at my ring - the tarnish was gone!
The only way I can explain it is that God wiped it away. Maybe that's something he's trying to tell me. I don't have to be perfect and shining all the time. I can be tarnished with little chips and still have high value to Him.
After bible study, I still took my ring into our local jeweler for a free cleaning. When I took it off my hand and put it on the counter I could see that the lady was looking at it and wondering why it needed to be cleaned. At that moment God reminded me that when I ask Him for forgiveness and I still feel guilty about it and I keep going back to him asking for forgiveness again for the same thing, he's looking at me and saying,"What are you talking about? I don't see this sin that you say you committed anymore. It's been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ."
The tarnish or stronghold is not the definition of who I am. Underneath is who God created me to be. And I need to start remembering that in this life the enemy is going to bully me to such a degree that I can become paralyzed in reckless behavior. I don't want that.
Now I can look at my ring and see sanctification.
