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“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us”   Psalm 103:11-12

If you set out to go north from Lynchburg, Virginia, you can travel exactly 3,641 miles until you start going south. Or you can head south from here, but once you’ve gone 8,789 miles, you will—as you’ve probably guessed—turn northward.

But how far can you travel west until you’re going east? Or, likewise, how many miles would you have to go east until you’re heading west? That’s kind of a trick question because the answer is: you don’t. When you turn and move east from anywhere and keep going eastward, no matter how far you go, you’ll never run out of east. Same thing going the other way: You cannot go to the end of “west.” It’s hard to wrap your head around, isn’t it?

This fact makes God’s promise to us in Psalm 103 even more astounding. In verse 12, we’re told He has removed our transgressions from us “as far as the east is from the west.”. Through His amazing grace and the work of Jesus on the Cross, our sins are forgiven—we are made righteous in the sight of God. And at that moment, He casts our sins—past, present, and future—into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), never to be brought up again (Hebrews 8:12).

Sisters, please let this sink in. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and ask for forgiveness, He forgives us. And He does not keep bringing up our wrongdoings. So, when your mind and heart are being pummeled with disgrace, or if you’re dragging around heavy shackles of shame wherever you go (think Marley in “A Christmas Carol”), know this is not of your heavenly Father! This is a tool of your enemy whose goal is your discouragement. He wants you to doubt how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the love of Christ is toward you (Ephesians 3:18). He wants you to look in the mirror each day and see filthy stains of your sin, not the cleansed, white-as-snow vision of beauty you are through Jesus (1 John 1:9, Psalm 51:7).

Certainly, we may have to live out the consequences of our sinful choices and carry the scars. But I pray these serve as reminders of God’s love and forgiveness toward us—not the constant condemnation your enemy would prefer. And may we use them as a means to share the Truth of the Gospel with others.

“Lord, I am so thankful for Your forgiveness—and Providential forgetfulness. Help me walk in the freedom of this Truth and share it unreservedly with others.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Ministry