Christ’s love redeems our life stories.

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

“And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,  and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”  
Luke 2:36-37 English Standard Version

I like things that are shiny. And this old Ford F-1 pickup is nice and shiny. Someone dedicated a great deal of time and money to make this old pickup look new.

Anchorage Alaska

Yet it’s still old. It looks nothing like a new Ford F-150. It probably doesn’t have the horsepower or get the same kind of mileage as a new pickup. I doubt that it’s factory equipped with GPS or possesses hybrid motor.

No matter how cherry it looks, it is old, but that’s what makes this pickup special. What makes it special is its age.

Anna had a history. A history filled with pain and tears. A history filled with passion. Anna’s history is what makes her story important. This broken women is given the eyes of faith to see the Savior.

No matter your age, you have a story. It, too, is not only a story of brokenness and pain but of forgiveness and life.

I can’t help but think that the red paint of the pickup is much like the blood of Christ. No matter our age, his sacrifice makes us shine.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner