“Pam, look!
It snowed!” My husband pointed out the window. “The weather report didn’t even
mention snow!”
I gazed out
on a world that looked like God had taken a giant sifter and expertly covered
everything with a beautiful layer of fine powdered sugar. Clean, fresh, and
untrod, the snow magically transformed every object—from barren trees to the
church dumpster—into a breath-taking landscape of pure white.
Isaiah 1:18
floated unbidden to mind: “The Lord says, “Now, let's settle the matter. You
are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as white as snow.”
White as
snow—that is very white, a white that is pure and unadulterated.
Sometimes
things appear white—like the three Pekin ducks that reside at Hillside Farm year-round.
While the Pekin look extremely white when standing beside our other breeds of
ducks, when they waddle through the snow, quacking for food, their feathers are
actually rather sallow in comparison.
When it
comes to my sinfulness, I find I am tempted to evaluate myself like I do the
ducks—by basing my goodness rating on how I compare with others. I think, “Oh!
I’m not as bad as that!” Or, “I am a pretty decent person.”
In God’s
eyes, however, I am as badly stained with sin as everyone else. I am not as
innocent and good as I like to pretend I am.
There is
only one way to be as pure and sinless as God requires; we must truly believe
that Jesus paid the price for all our sins when he died on the cross. It is not
based on our goodness, or lack of it. It is strictly a matter of faith in God’s
ability to forgive us and give us a white-as-snow chance to begin anew.
When we put
our faith in Jesus, he removes all traces of our sin, washing us even WHITER
than snow!
Looking for
a clean, fresh start in this new year? God can and will give you that chance.
Just talk to him about it!
Be
encouraged!
Pam©2017 Pamela D. Williams
