Fluffy White Comforter

There are few material things I love more than fresh, clean, crisp linens. I wash my sheets more than most other humans I know.

I had family in town this past weekend and every bed in my home was taken. I love that. I made sure the softest and cleanest sheets were on each bed to assure their comfort, because it's something that's important to me.

After my family left on Sunday afternoon, I spent a good portion of the day washing sheets,  blankets and towels. When I began making the beds back, my dog followed me around and laid in the floor in each room. What a good pup. As I finished making the fluffiest, whitest and biggest bed in the house, he happily leapt on top of the comforter and rolled around. Every part of his body was touched by the crisp white comforter.  Let me remind you, Sunday afternoon was very wet.

I said horrid words.

Actually, I screamed horrid words.

I was so looking forward to collapsing in my bed with a good movie on that rainy Sunday afternoon. But, instead, I was having to figure out how to get mud out of my comforter. Livid. I was livid.

I ended up leaving the house in my anger and going ahead to the church for youth. I decided to ignore the problem. That's always a good decision. (Note the sarcasm.)

And today, I had to pick up my comforter from the dry cleaners. It was a big mess, y'all.

When I made my bed tonight for the third time in four days, my pup was afraid to even walk into the room.... because of my temper the last time he and that crisp white comforter were in the same room.

Oh.


I was then reminded of something so simple about the grace and forgiveness of Christ that PRAISE THE LORD, are nothing like my rage. First,  HE forgives.  I could end this short blog post here. He forgives! He doesn't hold it over us!

Hallelujah and Amen!

But, another mind blowing characteristic of God, He doesn't keep a record of our wrongdoings. Amen! He doesn't give us shame and scorn when we are filthy. When we've jumped right back into our sin, after being cleansed and made white again, he doesn't scream at us with horrid words.  When we roll in the wet mud and dirt, and our "white as snow" becomes no longer recognizable, He doesn't leave us.

He doesn't ignore us.

He doesn't tend to it later.

He picks us up, welcomes us back onto the cleanest, fluffiest white space and tells us we are under His care. We are chosen by Him. We are welcomed by Him. He will forgive us so much, that He even will dwell IN us. There's no amount of shame that can make us unlovable. There's nothing worth hiding. There's nothing worth staying scared in the corner about.

That, my friends, is something to be thankful for. As I type this from my cloud-like bed, I'm thankful He calls me His own and has already washed me as white as this darn comforter. No amount of mud can stain or tarnish His cleanse upon my life. Upon our lives.