What a Mess!
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2 (NKJV)
I wasn’t supposed to play with them—but I did. My grandmother’s Hummel collection was definitely off limits. I waited until she and Grandpa Kerrick went to town and then I got into the curio cabinet. For about an hour I entertained myself until I got a little too wild and crazy. Two of them collided and broke. Oh no! They would be back soon. Paste. String. Tape. Rubber bands. Nope! Nothing held their arms in the right places. I was a goner! The guilt and fear drove me to tears. When they got home, I bolted out the back door and into her arms. I confessed amidst sobs. What a lesson I learned that day! Heidi Gaul (Mornings with Jesus) also had a shattering moment and her message is loud and clear.
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As I wiped the delicate goblet dry with a dish towel, it slipped from my fingers and shattered on the floor. For a moment, I froze to stare at the mess. How could one glass break into so many pieces? The floor was littered with them. I grabbed the broom and dustpan and swept the area.
But the next day, I found a shard atop the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen, and the day after that, I spotted a large chunk in the breakfast nook. How could this be?
Sin is like that. It creates a mess in one part of my world. I clean it up, only to notice it has shattered into other areas, appearing in unexpected places over time. Even then, the jagged pieces can cut just as deeply as the day that the sin was first committed.
Because Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross, my misdeeds have been cleaned up. Jesus not only atoned for sins but also sent the Holy Spirit to continue the work of helping us recognize our brokenness. We are made clean of every repented transgression.
Never capable of being repaired, my smashed goblet was bound for the trash. But because of Jesus, I can be whole again, no matter how broken I become.
Heavenly Father, thank You for handing us the broom when we make messes—when we sin. Your Son paid a very high price for us. Help us never to forget the work of the Cross. AMEN.