Stroll down the hallways of any educational institution today with the purpose of locating a blackboard, chalk, and erasers and you are likely to come away empty handed. Although not as commonplace as they once were due to the invention of the dry-erase and smart boards, chalkboards (once made of slate) have likely been a staple feature in the lives of many of us. So, even if we are unfamiliar with the Latin Tabula Rasa, we are likely to grasp the concept of a blank slate. “An opportunity to begin again with no record, history, or preconceived ideas is one kind of tabula rasa…The Latin literally means ‘scraped tablet,’ sort of an old-fashioned Etch A Sketch ready to be drawn on.”

Today’s purpose for offering the topic of Tabula Rasa is in connection to the concept of forgiveness, of offering a blank slate. Whether the day’s research is on defining servant leadership, examining high performers, cultivating spiritual disciplines, or describing what it means to flourish at life, a common thread manages to arise again and again, and that is this idea of forgiveness. And no one offers a better example of forgiveness than our Savior, Jesus Christ. Clint Archer shares that “we all need to master the art of ‘tabula rasa’—a blank slate. This is exactly what Jesus expects of all his followers,” and he offers that cultivating two specific habits would allow us to enhance our relationship with God and man: (1) habitually asking for a clean slate and (2) habitually granting others a blank slate.

In theory, these two habits sound fairly straight forward, however, putting these into action in day-to-day life brings an entirely different awareness to the concept of forgiveness. And for me, I was reminded of the enormity of Christ’s gift, which provides me with a blank slate before God, in an unexpected place—reading a fictional suspense novel. Several years ago, I read an intriguing novel by Mark Andrew Olsen entitled Ulterior Motives, excited for another thriller of preventing a terrorist attack, a common theme in my reading choices. What I did not anticipate was how impactful the story would become in my understanding of what true forgiveness really means.

The premise of Ulterior Motives is based on a fictional military strategy known as Tabula Rasa, where Olsen’s main character, Greg Cahill, a formal federal agent and a current prisoner minister, is asked to offer Omar Nirubi, a leader of a terrorist group, the government’s clemency if he helps prevent a New Year’s Day attack. Olsen walks readers through Cahill’s story of transformation and into prison ministry and how he is now able to befriend the unlovable. “[Cahill] now believed a man could be forgiven by God, his heart cleansed,” however, this belief rises to a new level as he is asked to share a house, and befriend Nirubi, for several days as the terrorist ponders the clemency proposal.

Offering us a glimpse into the angst Cahill experiences as he attempts to develop a relationship with Nirubi, Olsen shares, “The government’s offer was all about forgiveness. Likewise, his wish to share Christ with his charge was also about reconciliation and redemption, not condemnation. And yet he kept remembering—there was almost too much to condemn about Nirubi. So much that it was difficult for an ordinary person to rise above it. After all, he was playing glorified concierge to one of the most evil men in the Western world. The greatest threat to the safety and survival of his family, in all of humanity… everything Greg stood for told him that even these things could be forgiven. Even all this man had done and stood for could be wiped clean forever if only the man turned his life over to his Creator.”

The theme of forgiveness running through this fictional story, a terrorist being offered Tabula Rasa, being asked to fathom that I need my Savior’s forgiveness as much as a person who has committed evil acts, had my heart pounding—not for the storyline of the book, but because this realization hits home in a profound way. That although we must answer to the consequences of our actions, true forgiveness is available to everyone, even a terrorist. The redemption offered through the blood of Christ wipes my slate clean the same way it does anyone else who accepts His gift of grace. We all need to cultivate these habits—asking for His forgiveness and then offering this forgiveness to others. Not out of our own abilities, but because He provides us the eraser to wipe the slate clean. If Christ can forgive us, how in the world can we not offer Tabula Rasa to others? Powerful insight from a fictional story!

References:

Archer, C. (2018, January 8). Blank slate: Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. The Cripplegate. Retrieved from https://thecripplegate.com/clean-slate/

Olsen, M.A. (2009). Ulterior motives. Bethany House.

Vocabulary.com, Inc. (2022). Tabula Rasa. Retrieved from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tabula%20rasa