Reason #389

Back at it again... sick. What's the deal? I think I need to build up my immunity because I work around so many different people now. I learned my lesson in December, so this time I'll go to the doctor if things don't get better soon. Tonight, my bed looked especially appealing. Even more so after I took night-time Sudafed.

I have a small obsession with birds, so I have chosen to heavily decorate my house with them. Seriously, there's really no place you can look without spotting a bird. Owls are my favorite. Anyhow, my bedspread is covered in little birds. It's mostly white with different splotches of color here and there. I have a low, platform bed and I'm not the only one who thinks it's super comfortable. A while back, Scout learned how to jump onto the bed. Truthfully, I was glad she figured it out so I didn't have to keep picking her up and putting her down. However, she makes herself at home on my bed all the time. She has marked the pillow next to mine as hers, and it's quite obvious. To go along with my white bed spread, I also have white sheets. White sheets that are usually a shade of brown. And the pillow, well, it's brown, too. Right smack dab in the middle is a little brown spot where Scout curls up to take her naps. I noticed the other day that my bedspread is now the same, familiar shade of West Texas dirt brown, which I'm not thrilled about. I hate having to wash my bedspread, as it's such a chore, however, I don't think I'll be able to put it off much longer. Thankfully, a few hours in the washer and dryer and it's good to go for a while.

This is one of the many things I don't like about winter. Not only does Scout bring in dirt, she also tracks in dead grass. It seems the more I vacucum it, the more grass she brings in, so I've pretty much come to the terms that it's going to be this way for the next 3 months. Oh well, it is a quick fix I suppose. Plus, it's not like she's doing this intentionally

But I thought about how often we do this, too. How often we taint things. We go out into the world and we get covered by its messy ways. No matter how hard we try, we just get this stuff on us. It's gross and dirty and we carry it around where ever we go. We leave our spots every where, and we come into His presence completely dirty and in need of a good cleaning. Maybe it was intentional and maybe it wasn't. Sometimes, it's just the result of living in this fallen world. But either way, we drag this stuff around leaving a little trail of evidence where ever we go. And you know what is most evident in it all? It's evident that we need a Savior. We need someone who will come to us in our mess, no matter how terrible we smell or what we've got all over us, and clean us up. We need someone who won't shy away from the task even though it may be quite a lengthy process. We need a Savior who isn't okay with letting us carry the mess around and leave it every where we go. We need someone who will not only clean us up but will also help us clean up the messes we made along the way. And He will. He'll do this just for us. He'll give us a clean slate, clean us up, remove the mess and restore us. He'll wash us whiter than snow, removing the yuck and the grime and making us perfect in His sight. And all we simply have to do is ask.

I'm so grateful to serve a God like that. I'm grateful that no mess is too challenging or big for Him to clean up, and I'm so glad He'll do it, too. I'm thankful for clean slates and fresh starts. And I'm grateful that even when I don't realize it, or maybe even want it, He won't leave me in a state of disaster and destruction. Rather, He'll pick me up, dust me off, and wash me whiter than snow. Perfect in His sight. That's a hard thing to imagine, but it's true. And I'm so grateful for that. I'm glad that when He looks at me, He doesn't see the mess I am or the messes I've made, but sees my intentions and my heart. It may not be a quick fix, it may be, but either way He's always able to take care of any problem and fix anything. All we have to do is just ask Him!

#389 - Because He cleans up our messes and gives us clean slates and fresh starts.

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him." - Lamentations 3:22-25

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