Mistakes Aren’t the End of the Story

Searching for love in all the wrong places. Scarred from the past. Damaged goods.

Those phrases describe how Jayna’s story begins in Hold Your Breath. Her story was uncomfortable to write at times, and yet I felt compelled to write it for the reader who relates to Jayna: someone who feels “less than” and needs to know her true worth.

That true worth is what private investigator Liam Bracken tries to help Jayna see as he points her to the One who redeems and restores.

Liam reminds me of the person Jesus describes in Matthew 25:35-36. “…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (NKJV).

Jayna finds herself a stranger among Liam’s Tampa church group, and yet they treat her like a friend. She finds herself trapped in what once seemed a paradise, and Liam doesn’t give up on her.

I said those phrases describe how Jayna’s story begins, because they do not describe how it ends—or how anyone’s story needs to end, praise Jesus. Yes, Jayna must face the consequences of her mistakes, but she doesn’t have to dwell there. Hope and a future are available to all who call upon God as their Savior. As Psalm 86:5 says, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (NKJV).

Have you felt “less than” because of a past mistake? Be encouraged by Jayna’s story that your past doesn’t have to define you, and let God’s redeeming love transform your story into one of hope and healing.

~ Kristen

I’m grateful this post first appeared on the Mountain Brook Ink blog.