Thanks to all of you who answered my question this weekend, “What does redemption look like?” I got teary-eyed as I read all of your wonderful answers. Do you realize how many people were lurking and reading those answers–people who were curious about this thing called Christianity, people laden down with sin and regret and misery and baggage from things that have happened them. People who feel so burdened that they see no hope for a future.

Some of you quoted scripture beautifully, some of you painted a picture of Christ on the cross taking the punishment for our sins, so that we could start over with a clean slate. Some of you told your own stories, or gave beautiful metaphors, or talked of the serenity and peace that you’ve experienced. I believe all of those answers will bear fruit in God’s kingdom. So thank you for doing this. Yes, I asked the question as part of the promotion for my book Shadow in Serenity, which is about redemption. But the answers took on a life of their own, and became so much more.

It was hard to choose a winner among so many wonderful answers, but one jumped out at me as a picture of redemption that anyone can understand. If someone who’d never had a background in Christianity happened to read my Wall, someone who didn’t understand all of our references, they could have read this answer and related it instantly to his or her own life. So, the winner is …

Tamara Frost: “Redemption is being able to walk into a church again for the first time in five years, not feeling like I’m about to be judged for all the mistakes I’ve made that too many people know about. Redemption is facing the friends who saw me in my darkest times and still don’t know how to react. Redemption is Christ patiently taking my hand and assuring me that there is still hope and love for me no matter how many times I fall. Redemption is scars fading, memories softening, and new friends not being scared of who you were. Redemption is so hard to accept, difficult to trust, but the best feeling and knowledge you could ever have. I am forgiven. Not even chocolate tastes that sweet.”

Congratulations, Tamara! Email me your info at terri.blackstock1@facebook.com and I’ll send the book out today. And for those of you who didn’t win, don’t worry. You’ll have more chances in the next few days. But your reward in heaven will be far greater than a free book!

In Christ who Defines the word Redemption,