Letters in the Sand Washed Away
Pat Boone was not the only singer who recorded it, but he was the one whose version soared to the greatest heights in the late 50s. He sang about how he and his loved one wrote “Love Letters in the Sand” and how his heart was broken as the incoming tide washed those letters away. Think about this for a moment, and you can see there are many things in our life we need to have washed out.
Sometimes we need to wash away the anger in our lives. Anger itself is not sinful. It is a godly quality. The psalmist said, “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psa. 7:11). However, he also said, “Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah” (Psa. 2:12). Jesus is the One we long to be exactly as He was. “He looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their heart” (Mark 3:6). So, the next time you see evil, or when someone has wronged you, do not engrave their words in stone within your heart. We are commanded, “Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph. 4:26). Let the waves of agape love wash away your anger.
Write your “list” of past accomplishments in the sand and let them be washed away. Human nature is to look at oneself and think about what he/she has personally accomplished. Paul did not keep a list of all those he had baptized so that he might tell others about it (1 Cor. 1:16-17). Serve Him every day but avoid the pitfall of pride of glorying about how brightly our lights have been shining. Paul had done so much, but when He looked inward, He said, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…” (Phil. 3:13-14, ESV). Jesus said, “When you have done all those things commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’” (Luke 17:10). Let the waves of humility wash away past accomplishments.
Finally, write the sins of the past in the sand. Far too many Christians, even knowing they are forgiven, carry the guilt of past sins and this discourages them. You can never forget past wrongs, but you can let them be overshadowed by the remembrance of that time when God forgave them. He forgives the ungodly when they are baptized, but He forgives the godly when they acknowledge their sins. We should be thankful that He has said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Get rid of the burden of guilt, write those wrongs in the sand and let His blood wash them away.