Red Tape and Scarlet Letters: Not the God I Know

I have a confession: I am afraid that God has often been sorely misrepresented and I imagine that I have, at times, been the one misrepresenting.

It occurs to me that God is sometimes represented as holding an unending roll of red tape and placing scarlet letters on people, marking us by our brokenness.

Hang with me and let me explain.

The Scarlet Letter is a book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that explores the themes of legalism, shame, and guilt. It tells the story of a woman who was caught in adultery, conceives a child, and refuses to reveal her lover’s identity. As punishment, she is forced to wear a large scarlet “A” on her clothes for all to see. She is publicly shamed and struggles to live her life with any sort of dignity and identity apart from the glaring Scarlet Letter.

This story is in stark contrast to the story of the woman caught in adultery found in the Bible. (John 8:1-11) In this story, Jesus publicly condemns her accusers who stand in judgment and privately and compassionately addresses her brokenness and restores her dignity.

God is not a Scarlet God. And yet, it seems that far too often those who claim to represent God permanently place scarlet letters of shame on broking and hurting and healing people.

God  is not about public shaming. God is not about legalism and guilt. The God I know is not a Scarlet Letter God.

It strikes me that Jesus, who does represent God, publicly condemns judgment while he privately addresses brokenness. And as Jesus meets people in their brokenness, there is unprecedented kindness and compassion. There is no shame. Instead, he offers solutions of wholeness, healing, and freedom.

The woman who washed the feet of Jesus? (Luke 7:36-50) While others condemned her and placed a Scarlet Letter on her and put up Red Tape everywhere she tried to go, Jesus condemned them for their judgment of her and praised her publicly for her devotion and acts of love.

God is not a Scarlet Letter God and God is not a Red Tape God either.

According to britannica.com, Red Tape is a series of actions or complicated tasks that seem unnecessary but that a government or organization requires you to do in order to get or do something.

God is not holding any Red Tape. The love of the Creator God is not complicated. We don’t have to earn it or check off boxes or jump through hoops. The love is free. The freedom from shame and guilt is free. The peace is free. The joy is free. We don’t have to sign up for membership in a God Club or have our lives all figured out. There is no Red Tape for living in and experiencing the great mystery of God’s presence.

We are not identified by our brokenness, although we all surely have our fair share of brokenness. Our identity is that we are creations that are at one with the Creator God. We are not disqualified. The God that I know invites broken creation to be one with a powerful Creator.

If you feel disqualified or shamed, publicly or privately, or left behind - that is not God. If you feel like you have to prove yourself or earn forgiveness - that is not God.

God is not a Scarlet Letter God or a Red Tape God.

God is a Come as You Are God.

God is an Open Door God.

God is a Come Sit at my Table God.

God is a Your Brokenness is Beautiful God.

God is a I See You and I Can Heal You God.

That is the God that I know.