Think a minute…This fugitive was sure he had found the perfect place to run and hide from the law: a tiny island in the vast Pacific Ocean. The police would never look for him there. So he started a whole new life on this little island where nobody knew him and what he had done in the past.

For years he lived free from justice and punishment for his past crimes. Then suddenly it all ended! This fugitive was found in Pago Pago, American Samoa and brought back to face justice in the U.S. 

It reminds me of a more famous true story about two fugitives named Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are two of the most well known criminals in America’s history. For years they succeeded in robbing bank after bank. Finally there was nowhere safe for them to hide in the U.S., so they took a ship to South America.

There they continued robbing banks, thinking they would never get caught. But as the saying goes: “You can run, but you cannot hide!” Their past finally caught up with them when they were killed in a shootout with South American police. As the Bible says: “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

When you live “on the run” you have no peace of mind, so you’re not able to freely and fully enjoy what you have. There is no real satisfaction because your guilt and the truth of your past take it away. And since you cannot go back to undo your past, what can you do? 

First, stop running. You may not be running from the law, but you’re still running from your past wrongs by not facing the facts and confessing what you’ve done. Some of us just refuse to admit that we’re wrong and guilty. We either deny it or deceive ourselves into believing the lie that what we did was not really that bad or wrong. We might even blame others. 

But even if we finally do admit all our wrongs, we still carry the guilt and shame from them—sometimes all the way to our graves. But we don’t have to!  Jesus will forgive and accept you no matter what sins and wrongs you’ve done.

He’s just waiting for you to humble yourself and surrender your heart to Him, not so He can punish you, but so He can forgive you. Remember, He is the only one who can actually pardon and free you from your guilt.

Right now won’t you ask Him to forgive you and take total charge of your heart and life? Then, you can start changing and learning to live His right, satisfying way daily? Never forget, Jesus’ way is the only way that is truly full, fun, and free of guilt.

Just think a minute…