Last year, my husband decided to get his ‘65 Mustang convertible restored. Since it had not been driven in 15 years, we knew the restoration process would be extensive. After a long wait, we got the car back, naturally expecting it to run well. But, it didn’t. My husband is assertively prodding the mechanic about finishing the work, while trying to believe the best about him through all the unexpected delays; but I sometimes worry that we’re going to end up on “3 on Your Side.” I’ve begun to pray, “Lord, please help the mechanic to make this right.” Then, in a recent text, the mechanic reassured my husband saying, “Don’t worry. Imma make it right, bro.”
Imma make it right, bro. Those could be just words, or they could be a promise that he will keep. I don’t know how that story ends yet. But, that day, those words spoke to me on several levels, and I have been pondering them.
Oh how we long for RIGHT! We want to be right, we want things to work right, we want to be treated right, we want people to drive right, we want our kids to behave right; and, when we are wronged, we want the one who wronged us to make it right. No matter what the offense is—from someone ignoring our turn at a 4-way stop to the unfathomable kidnapping of 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria—our hearts cry out for justice.
Some injustices seem easily correctable: “I paid X amount of dollars for the car to run correctly, and I expect you to do what you said you would do.” But, often, amends cannot be made to right a wrong: A woman who enters marriage expecting a faithful partner for life, but instead finds disillusionment, cannot demand her investment back. A child with the natural needs of nurture and love cannot later insist that her alcoholic mother make up the time she wasted on her addiction. And what about the offenders? This adulterous husband and addicted mom, even when broken and repentant, can offer no remedy for that kind of pain. What then?
When Rick Warren (pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life) was asked how he could survive the tragedy of his son taking his own life, he said, “The answer is Easter.” And, Easter is also the answer to our question…not just the church answer, but the real answer. Truly, nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our sin and make us whole again. And only our Savior, who knew injustice and bore the sin of the world, can comfort us in our sorrow and teach us healing forgiveness. We can, and should, seek justice (the bible tells us to in Isaiah), but we cannot count on a person to make up what they have done to us.
The song Unredeemed by Selah says “It may be unfulfilled, it may be unrestored, but when anything that’s shattered is laid before the Lord, just watch and see—it will not be unredeemed.” So, as we pursue peace and seek justice, let’s remember who holds our life and knows how every part of it turns out. Let’s demand less and impart more grace— to others and to ourselves. The one who gave us our desire for righteousness and justice also fulfills it. In His time, He will make it right.
Jo is a Licensed Professional Counselor at St. Mark’s. You can reach her by phone (601- 259-1749) or email (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).
