Scripture for Today:  Psalm 51:7  “Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”

We had a beautiful snowfall this morning.  There is something special about waking up to a whitewashed landscape.  All the sad bare trees suddenly look festive.  Add hot chocolate and all is right with the world!

Our landlord, Mr. Hell, is a big help (yes, that is his name!  See “What’s in a Name” Aug.27, 2012).  He clears the long alley way out to the street with his tractor.  Before long, the snow no longer looks so clean and white.  There are foot prints, tire tracks and Tiger’s paw prints all sullying its brightness.  As the snow melts and mixes with the mud beneath, the white gets lost in grey.

Our verse today says that I can be whiter than snow.  The Lord’s forgiveness makes me that way.  My sin makes my heart dirty.  My guilt makes it dark.  But the Lord promises full cleansing when I confront and confess my sin.  His forgiveness makes everything white and bright again.

Like the snow outside, the whiteness of my heart does not seem to last very long!  Sin creeps back in little by little, dimming the white and changing it to grey.  Before long it is too noticeable to ignore.  The washing of my heart needs to be a daily routine.  Just as the washing of the disciples’ feet in John 13 is a daily necessity, so is my daily confession.

How wonderful to experience the new freshness of bright white snow!  How amazing that God’s forgiveness does the same for me!  His patient and consistent pardon means that each day can have a new white beginning.  One day, that whiteness will last forever.