Whiter than snow

Pure and Lovely!

I love snow so much!  I guess I can afford to since I live where snow is more a novelty than something you get tired of.  But I have had that phrase, “whiter than snow” on my mind for several weeks now.  It comes from Psalm 51 and in context it says:  “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.” (Psalm 51:7-8)  It’s about guilt and I thought we might explore this together.

We all do things wrong along the way.  We make mistakes, we let others down, we might even commit a serious wrong.  We are created with a conscience that lets us know even if no one else does. So what do we do when we are guilty?

My life used to be ruled by two ways of coping.  I tried to change myself to prove that I am different than when I behaved in a wrong way.  And I tried to do lots of good things to outweigh the bad and keep my bad side from being found out.  I was trying to either get rid of some part of myself, or at least trying to cover it up.  These strategies helped me feel better for awhile, but neither allowed me to live with a sense of freedom and peace.  I couldn't let the "good" self slip -- and I was actually rejecting any part of myself that didn't measure up.

On the other hand, it offends our sense of justice when wrongdoing is gotten away with.  Even little children know the one who has been hurt is due something (especially if it is them!) and someone needs to pay.  But, sometimes it's hard to know how much is enough.  When is it fair to stop paying on the debt?  And sometimes there just isn’t any way to make up for it - ever.  I’m wondering if our human minds think there really is any way to be “whiter than snow”?   Is it fair?  Too easy?  What kind of a God says He can and will do this for us?

The God of the Bible values both the hurt one and the offender.  He sees something that is worth keeping in all of us.  Though we have become sinners by nature we are precious and valuable to Him.  We are worth the effort of being salvaged.  But it is not just a matter of forgiving us and wiping the slate clean, over and over and over again.  It is a matter of fixing the problem and redeeming us to His original plan.

Think of that beautiful, pure scene of new fallen snow.  How long does it remain perfect like that?  Life resumes its normal pace and tire tracks go through the snow.  Before long there are black, sooty piles along the curb.

Through Jesus, we are not just washed clean, but brought to birth again – the spiritual birth.  With the filling of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be taught spiritual things and we change as we accept them.  We are new creations with new abilities to hear God and know Him.  We live receiving His unconditional love, no longer afraid of making mistakes.  It was a great day when I found I could stop running from the possibility of being wrong or from the parts of me that needed to be forgiven.

The path of life is rarely straight...

God's forgiveness comes with hope for change in the future.  He has invested the life of His Son, Jesus, in us and given us freedom from condemnation.  We can come to Him and be washed clean because Jesus paid our debts and we can have hope because the Holy Spirit truly brings change to our souls.



I'm so glad that God isn't looking for perfection!  He looks for faith that believes that He is love, and trusts Him.  That's all it takes.