The Scarlet Letter

I (Julie) have a list on my closet door of "Books I Will Read Someday." It's a list of classics and others that I thought would be good to read, and would probably never get around to reading if I didn't have something there reminding me that I decided I would. Anyway, one of the books on there is "The Scarlet Letter." Somehow, I missed having to read it in any of my English classes in high school. So I checked it out from the library a few days ago, and I'm probably about a third of the way through it. The thing that keeps striking me is the lack of forgiveness. Now, I don't know how the story ends, and I haven't read any commentaries on it or anything, but I am having a hard time with the religious people in it. On the one hand, what Hester did was wrong, and I think our society has gone too far the other way to passing over it lightly and not considering it as serious as it is. I also think that since Hester knew what the consequences were, it was not brilliant on her part to go ahead and do it anyway. But on the other hand, the Christians in this book have missed the point of God's forgiveness. Of course, forgiveness could come only after Hester was truly repentant for what she had done, but then, she should have been restored as a believer and one who had been forgiven. It just makes me think of all the scarlet letters I should be wearing. Not the same letter as Hester's, but maybe a "J" for jealousy, a "S" for selfishness, a "D" for doubting, and the list goes on. It breaks my heart that we label people with scarlet letters and forget where we have come from and how much we have been forgiven. I really hope the book ends on a brighter note (don't ruin it for me if you know the ending!), but even if it doesn't, it is a good reminder that if not for the scarlet blood of Jesus, I would be covered in scarlet letters from head to toe proclaiming my sin. Thank you Lord, for washing me white!