Yesterday, as I was walking the dogs, I was thinking that spring is not far around the corner. There were puddles  and mud everywhere. The dogs tracked the mud right into the house. It was messy. As I looked around the yard yesterday I saw all the things we had yet to clean up from our last big wind storm. There was broken glass from a spare window, walls from my barn which had blown down. There was a stray bottle and a flower planter upside down. I knew that in the spring we'd have a clean-up-the-yard day and it would look great once again, but for right now, it looked pretty sad. 

But that was yesterday. This morning I awoke to a beautiful world of white! A heavy blanket of snow lay over everything. At least six inches of snow have covered the mud and the messy yard. I can't see anything but perfection this morning. The spruce trees, with their wide branches drooping under the weight of the fresh snow are a beautiful sight to see. The pond is frozen over and even the apple trees are thick with snow. Its lovely! All of the imperfections of our yard are gone. All of the mess, clutter and unsightliness are gone. It looks perfect. 

Isaiah 1:18 tells us "Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.

Before we ask the Lord to come into our lives and clean us up, our lives are a mess, much like my yard looked yesterday. There are things there that just shouldn't be. But God tells us that even though we are a mess, He can make us beautiful in His sight once more. We can't fix ourselves up. Oh, we can try to develop good habits and become a better person but the sin is still there and that sin, no matter how small or large, separates us from God.  But when we come to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, only then can we be 'white as snow', without the stain of sin on us. 

Unlike a blanket of snow that only covers and hides the mess that's underneath, when God comes into our lives He not only covers us but He removes the mess that was there too. When God forgives us of our sins, its as if there were never there to begin with. He truly does give us a fresh start. People can say that they forgive you for what you've done to them in the past but they'll always remember what you did. But God doesn't. When we ask God to forgive us He chooses to forgive and forget, something that humans cannot do, but God can and does. He forgets our sins and doesn't hold them against us any more. He'll never remind us of our sins that He's forgiven. They're gone: covered by the blanket of His love. Isaiah 43:25: "I--yes, I alone--will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again."

WHITE AS SNOW

OLGUIN, LEON

White as snow, white as snow Though my sins were as scarlet Lord I know, Lord I know That I’m clean and forgiven Through the power of your blood Through the wonder of your love Through faith in you I know that I can be White as snow