Where's the ugly?

We live on a gravel road. Unfortunately, this winter's mood swings have taken a huge toll on our road. Prior to the latest snowfall, our road was downright disgusting. Our drive was an obstacle course of potholes, muddy puddles and rutted tire tracks. Even the bare, leafless trees looked lifeless and lonely. Everything beautiful about our twenty acre neighborhood was overshadowed by the slice of ugliness that cut through it.

Then came last week's snow. Snow flakes the size of silver dollars covered the ugliness in a matter of hours. Mud and dirt disappeared under the cover of clean and pure. Stark, naked trees were clothed in glistening garments of white. The grime was erased and replaced with a blanket of beauty. What a wonderful transformation!




This picture of ugliness and beauty reminds me of my spiritual life. The grime and grit of my sin overshadows the beauty in my life. But God doesn't want me to be dirty. In fact, if I recognize my filth and ask to be cleaned, Jesus erases my grime with his sacrifice and clothes me in garments of righteousness. He makes me right again!

Thanks be to God for his faithfulness because boy do I get dirty a lot!

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit there is no deceit...Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" - and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalm 32:1-2, 5

"And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:10