Based on a true story

Last weekend, my husband and I saw the movie The Butler, a powerful chronicle of the struggle for civil rights in this country.  For me, it was like reliving the current events of my life, as it spanned the years, like watching news clips, one after another, things that I remember hearing, situations I recall seeing on television, and experiences I actually lived.

What transformed that movie into such a strong statement are the words that appeared right before the movie itself began, "Based on a true story."  Our hearts are moved by works of fiction, but there is something astonishing about what is true.  And we don't have to add anything to make it better.

There are those who would like to ban truth and just rewrite what happens for their own advantage.  But when God deals with our past, He does not rewrite out the bad parts or inflate what we consider good.

He redeems.  

And so, when God makes all things new, He means all things.  He redeems all things.  He turns it all right side up.  And even that is your story, the significance of His redeeming.

For the LORD will comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert
       like the garden of the LORD,
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.

                                   Isaiah 51.3