Psalm 107:2
“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story – those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.”
If you are a believer, you are redeemed! What a truth this is. But what does it mean to be redeemed? The definition of redeemed is “to gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment”. When I read that, it’s heavy to think about. A payment has to occur in redemption. Well, that’s exactly what Christ did for us. He had to regain possession of us because we were lost in sin, and the only solution to this problem was for someone to pay the price that all of mankind should’ve received. So, God sent Jesus to fulfill the redemption of our souls, so that we could have a hope for an eternal future.
Now I said that pretty nonchalantly. But just think about it, if Jesus didn’t pay that price…we would have no hope. We wouldn’t be able to look forward to something. We would have been trapped in our sin. Jesus said, “I want to die for <insert your name>.” That’s personal. That’s who Jesus is. Jesus came to free us from that and redeem our broken selves! That should get you PUMPED about living for Him. He set you free so that you could live a full life without fear of sin because it no longer holds you down.
Many of you know my sister, aka best friend, Shannon. What you might not know is that 5 years ago I would not label her as that at all. I don’t think I would even classify her as friend. I’d probably call her my sister who I have to deal with. What I’m trying to explain is that we were not friends. We didn’t like each other. We had no relationship whatsoever.
I was a freshman in high school when Shannon was a senior. I can still remember taking the bus to school most days because I couldn’t stand riding with her. I’d rather wake up earlier and catch a longer bus ride than endure a 5-minute car ride to school with her. I remember wanting to take a picture with her at her prom and she gave me the dirtiest look but reluctantly caved anyway, but it was all a façade. We just didn’t like each other. We couldn’t get along.
Shannon will probably tell you that it was mostly on her as to why our relationship was the way it was. But it was an immaturity on both of our parts that kept us from being close. I looked up to Shannon a lot, and essentially wanted to be her. I copied everything she did growing up, and I wanted everything she had. She was the coolest person ever to me. Her life was something I wanted. And obviously that was overbearing for her. She didn’t like the attachment I showed to her, and so she would push me away often.
Many nights of my freshman year of high school I remember crying because of our relationship. It seemed like it was a lost cause. No matter what we did, whether it was playing high school soccer together, going on a mission trip together, eating at the dinner table—there was always a tension. We despised each other essentially. But neither of us felt like fixing it. I remember telling myself, “Oh, all relationships get better with time. When we’re in our 20s we’ll be friends.” But we never did anything to get there. For me personally, I didn’t know what to do. I tried to be close to Shannon, but it came across as obsessive and annoying (which it definitely was).
I still remember dropping Shannon off at Spring Arbor her freshman year. I didn’t even say goodbye to her because I didn’t want to. It would’ve been awkward, and I knew she wouldn’t want to say bye to me. But she walked over to the car where I was and said, “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to me?” And she gave me a hug. It’s safe to say I was completely shook. What had just happened? It’s almost comical but I could not believe what happened. Shannon just hugged me, I thought. It was then where I realized that maybe we could eventually be friends. But we had just dropped her off at college and I wouldn’t really see her much.
As my sophomore year of high school began, nothing really changed. I remember going to Shannon with a few things that I normally wouldn’t. I expressed some doubts I had with my faith and she was able to help me with that, but we didn’t really communicate. It wasn’t until February of my sophomore year where things changed. I was riding in a car to school and our driver lost control and I got into a serious car accident. I ended up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. I only had a broken collar bone, but if I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt I wouldn’t be here today (so wear your seatbelt people, even if you are 18 and in the back seat:-)). Shannon was in class so when my dad called her he left a very vague voicemail for her. It went something like, “Hey Shannon, Bethany just got in a car accident. We don’t really know what’s going on. All we know is she is in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Bye.” Probably not the best depiction of the situation. However, as crazy as it sounds, this was the moment that changed everything for my sister and I’s relationship.
My sister thought I was dead. She was freaking out that I was gone. She couldn’t imagine living with herself if I was gone knowing how our relationship was. She committed that day to not let our relationship remain the same way. From that moment on, our relationship was forever changed. We became intentional with each other. We started to appreciate our flaws instead of looking down on them. We started praising the beautiful things about each other.
Once our mentality about our relationship changed, we began to get close. That’s when I started to take a serious look at Spring Arbor. Initially, I didn’t want to go there because that’s where Shannon was, but now that our relationship was on the rise, I could actually see myself being on the same campus together.
Shannon and I played on the same soccer team together in high school. It was awful. It was awful because we didn’t like each other. The thought of playing with Shannon in college when we actually appreciated each other excited me. I wondered what that looked like, and definitely desired to experience a soccer season with my sister where we didn’t hate each other. I didn’t pick Spring Arbor because Shannon was there, but it was definitely a cherry on top to my decision.
Going to college with my sister is an experience that was God-sent. He knew both of us needed it. For our relationship. For our growth. We needed it. Shannon refined me in more ways that I can even begin to explain. She prepared me well for soccer, but she also completely shattered my faith in the best way. She was able to invest in me and pour out her knowledge and that ultimately allowed me to make my faith my own. We got to experience something that many girls dream of, and that’s playing with their sister at a collegiate level. It’s safe to say we did not take this opportunity for granted. We were on a mission to make the name of Jesus known through our relationship and through the sport of soccer.
In high school, Shannon and I won a state title together. In college, we won a national title together. They were both incredibly different experiences because of where our relationship was at. But the beauty of it all is the redemption that was present. God fully redeemed our relationship. He worked through all the crap that we were dealing with, and brought it full circle into a God-honoring sisterhood. And the only way it was possible was by the redemption that was brought from Christ 2000 years ago on the cross. We are redeemed as sisters because He redeemed us individually from the sin that entangled us. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross to release us from our sin, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to restore our relationship.
That’s why my sister and I got the tattoo redeemed on our arms. It’s because that word marks who we are. We are redeemed. Our relationship is redeemed, but only because God redeemed us. And now when people ask us about our tattoo, we get to share with them the extraordinary power of God and how He is able to take the most hopeless situations and redeem them. What I’ve learned from this process of redemption has changed the way I live my life. I recognize that redemption takes time. It took about three years before Shannon and I fully reconciled. And it’s been a process even after that to build and grow from where we started.
In retrospect, there is absolutely nothing I would change about our situation. To have gone through that journey of confusion, anger, and frustration—it was all worth it knowing that I have a sister who is my absolute best friend. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her, and I know she would say the same of me. Both of our faiths have tremendously increased because of what we experienced. God’s faithfulness is relentless. It prodded at me and Shannon for years. When it seemed completely hopeless, He still fought for us. He will stop at nothing to make sure His will is completed and that His people are able to recognize the fullness into which they are called to live.
I hope this story of redemption can give you hope that God can redeem any situation you are in. It may take longer than you expected, but trust His faithfulness. There is nothing that you have done, no relationship too broken, no shame too great, no sinful desire too strong, that God cannot overcome and turn into something beautiful. You are never too far gone. You are redeemed. You were bought at a price that cannot even be close to being repaid, so the only thing we can do is give everything back to the one who gave up everything for you.
