by Rev Douglas Brauner

We Are Works of God’s Redeeming Love

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“How great is your favor, which you store up for your loyal followers! In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter in you.” 
Psalm 31:19 New English Translation

Until you saw the full picture in this devotion you might have been wondering why the title, “Happy Accidents.”

Black Forest Regional Park, Black Forest, Colorado

The words happy and accident shouldn’t be in the same sentence. There is nothing happy about an accident. I wasn’t praising God when I took this roll of film out of my camera. I knew that the edges were ruined, that light had penetrated the emulsion before I developed the pictures.

My heart sank.

I had wandered around the Black Forest Regional Park trails with the purpose of capturing that evening’s “blue hour,” the short period of time after the sun has set and everything turns blue. I felt I had some good shots, that is, until I popped open the back of my camera and realized that the 120 film had rolled up incorrectly on my take up spool.

It took me a few days to get over myself and develop the pictures. Most of them turned out okay, however two of them had these amazing light leaks. This picture was even reposted by someone on Instagram.

We are all happy accidents.

God has taken what sin has destroyed and turned it into a beautiful picture. You are not only a work of God’s creation, but you are a work of his redemption. Yes, you have been fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14), but you have also been fearfully and wonderfully redeemed by Christ the crucified.

Scripture is tough on us when it says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). We might even feel that we are beyond hope, but that’s Satan’s lie. No one is beyond hope. You are precious to God. You are a happy accident through the mercy of God in Christ.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado