If you’ve been on the internet the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably heard the name Susan Boyle. She became an overnight international star after her unexpected performance on Britain’s Got Talent. She sang ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables. Her voice was phenomenal. Her performance was stunning. Click here to watch: Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream

Listen to some of the lyrics of this song that are originally sung in the Broadway musical by Fontaine: “I dreamed a dream in time gone by; When hope was high, and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die. I dreamed that God would be forgiving. Then I was young and unafraid, And dreams were made and used and wasted. There was no ransom to be paid; No song unsung, no wine untasted. But the tigers come at night, With their voices soft as thunder, As they tear your hope apart, And they turn your dream to shame!”

In Victor Hugo's novel, Fontaine was a woman who had been profoundly violated and whose life was filled with pain. What are we to do if we find ourselves in a similar position? We can become violators or perpetrators ourselves. We can wallow in our self-pity to the point of depression and despair... OR

When the tigers come at night and tear you and your dreams apart and you find yourself in the depths of despair and sin, remember there was one who placed Himself in a position of weakness and was crushed.  There was One who into earth’s bitter waters of sin, injustice, and revenge poured a crimson flood of His own blood to make them sweet.  Never was any man more unjustly sinned against.  The world He loved drove nails into His hands and feet.  Yet He prayed, “Father, forgive them.”  Forgiveness is not just a pipe dream. For most of us, the people we have the hardest time forgiving is ourselves. You can receive forgiveness this day and you can forgive but only as you look away from yourself and your pain to your wonderful Redeemer our Lord Jesus Christ.