There is a unique
beauty in innocence. It is something to be treasured, marvelled at, enjoyed and
protected. Fiercely.
The edges of the
world seem less sharp and pointed, more accommodating and generally better when
we are innocent. Why? Innocence is guiltlessness, it is having no red on your
ledger, no debt owed, nothing to worry about. It is freedom. Freedom from
caution, the caution that that is birthed from an expectation of attack,
retribution, disappointment and pain. Innocence says that the default is good,
not bad, that the outcome will be positive not negative. Innocence is the
opposite of being jaded.
Innocence is often
associated with naivety, negative connotations of unreality, blindness and
foolishness... The waiting period before waking up to the cold harsh reality of
life and the smell of ash. It is the cushion that makes you feel safe but
doesn't actually break your fall or stop you from snapping your legs.
If this is what you
think of innocence then you are not alone. You must have been jaded by life's
kicks to the stomach. But there is yet hope. Truth is that you can change your
view on the whole thing, if you choose to.
Now you might be
pointing to your circumstances right now and saying 'There really is no way I
can look at this mess and have any other view than my one right now - and yes I
am jaded - for good reason! My Jadedness reminds me that this is what I should expect
and that makes this circumstance less shocking and easier to deal with.'
Well, I have no idea
what your circumstance is right now but I do know that I have been kicked in
the stomach a few times and I have felt the same way about life. Hard exterior
keeps me safe. But then I stumbled upon a little nugget of truth (well actually
it came and found me out).
You lost your
innocence? Welcome to the club, now chew on this: Your innocence can be
restored.
You might think I am
saying that because I don't know just how deep the pile of filth is that you
lost your innocence in a long time ago, but that's not it. I am saying that
because it is true, was for me and is for you - doesn't matter who you are.
His name is Jesus
and he can be your innocence. Bit of a weird concept to the uninitiated so give
me a second here... You, me and literally every other person out there has lost
their innocence to a greater or lesser degree. All of us except for this one
guy - Jesus. Now one of the most amazing things about innocence is that it
holds on to hope, even in the face of the worst situations. That is what Jesus
held onto - despite the fact that he knew all of us were a complete mess he
held onto the hope that some would decide to choose freedom from all the
entangled mess. So he gave up his innocence, took the punishment that he did
not deserve, and absorbed all of the guilt of whoever would decide to make the
trade.
Now here is a weird
thing about guiltiness, once you have been condemned, jaded, broken - you get
used to it. This is the reason that criminals so often keep re-offending - they
have lost their innocence. Even though they might do their time and pay the sentence
for their actions they still feel jaded even though in the eyes of the law they
are now innocent. So they just keep on acting like they did before because the way they perceive themselves is not as clear cut or as quick to change as the
legal system is. So they re-offend and go back to square one.
We are all exactly
the same as this - we might not be breaking the laws of our country but we are
all constantly breaking moral, spiritual laws that we generally agree are good.
Do not steal. Do not lie. But we do! That
is why Jesus is SUCH good news because he can make you innocent again! But here
is the danger - we do the same as the re-offending criminal. We get declared
innocent but we don't feel that way. Well here is a lesson we Christians need
to learn - tell your feelings to line up
with the truth.
The good news
continues here as well. God doesn't just release us from prison and let us
wander around aimlessly - he helps us. He is our crutch that lets us stand even
with broken legs. If we ask him, he is faithful to restore to us what the
locusts have eaten. We might not ever be what we were before but we can
retrieve our innocence and we can be stronger than before we ever fell in the
first place.
Even though I have
done my time
And paid for my
crime
Everything is not
just fine
I can't get my
feelings in line
Cant shake the guilt
in this heart of mine
- Oh pine my soul,
pine! -
For the ineffably
divine
To make sense of
this mess where there is no reason or rhyme
To his purity and
innocence let my life bind
That freedom and
release in him I might find
He is open,
compassionate and kind
Powerful and
pervading, able to renew my mind
Sets me free from
the meritocracy grind
Oh my soul, let your
worth by him be defined
Amazing grace! Now I
can see, I am no longer blind!
Title font used: 'Euterpe'
