I wore some blue jeans to work the other day as we have a “relaxed dress code.”  About half way through the day the person in the cubicle next to me asked me if I spilt coffee on myself as they pointed to my knee.  As I looked and I noticed that I had a stain on both knees.  I got dressed in the dark that morning so I would not wake up my wife who doesn’t get up as early as I do and I did not notice the grass stains on my newly washed jeans.  Those stains were still there from a few days earlier when I was on my hands and knees in the yard pulling weeds for 2 hours.  Thanks to my back surgery I can pull weeds now and not walk like an 80 year old man for the rest of the week.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that I guess I will have to find some stain remover to take out those grass and mud stains before I wear these good jeans to work again.

The situation reminded me of when we took class pictures in the first grade and I wore pants that day that had holes and stains on both knees. The pants were hand-me-downs from my brother.  Naturally I had to sit on the front row because I was so short.  I didn’t want those holes and stains showing up in the picture so I leaned forward and covered my knees with my hands to try and hide the holes and stains in my pants.  Back then it wasn’t cool to have holes in your jeans – now, I would be the best dressed kid in the class as many holes as I had in my clothes!  That class picture is hidden somewhere in a drawer and it captures the shortcomings of my wardrobe; shortcomings that were never corrected, never repaired and that I could not cover no matter how much I tried.

I am so glad that our life does not have to be a class picture that we are ashamed of; one that eternally captures our embarrassments and shortcomings.  I am so glad that we can count of God’s grace to cover our shortcomings in our lives.  God says in His word in Galatians 3:27

Galatians 3:27  “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Our God is so gracious and merciful.  He has given us so much to be thankful for.  God has given us a way to be forgiven of our sins and to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ!  The next time I see a little boy with grass stained blue jeans, I will thank my Lord as I remember that I don’t have to worry about how I will cover my sins and shortcomings in this life.  I will thank the Lord for His Grace and I will thank Him that the same grace that is available to all who place their trust in Him.  When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior He covers our transgression and clothes us in His righteousness.

Until next time, may God bless you and your loved ones.