By: Jennifer Perez
Yesterday, we had our house cleaned professionally...a good, solid deep clean. It was much-needed, and felt so refreshing to come home to.
Not even an hour after the housekeeper left, my toddler dumped out our dog's water bowl on the floor. Then, a couple of hours later, she shook out a small bag of cereal she had taken from the pantry. Shortly after that, she threw a closed can of soda down on the floor, which exploded and spewed as I rushed to get it into the sink.
My little love was just enjoying doing what toddlers do best, and got quite a bit of joy out of her cause-and-effect exploring. I wasn't even mad! I just had to laugh at the craziness and irony of it all.
My husband and I cleaned up what we could after each mess, and before too long the floors were back to looking shiny again. Ahhh...clean again...for now at least. In those moments of cleaning up the dirty floors, I was reminded of God's grace toward us.
As a patient, loving Father, He doesn't grow weary in cleaning up our messes. He has no shortage of grace to cover our sins. Jesus' death on the cross didn't just pay for our sins up until the day we gave our lives to Him. His death paid for every sin we’ve committed since that day, and every sin we'll commit until our last day on earth.
As 1 John 1:9 reminds us, “...he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (ESV).
I know today I will mess up. I know I'll say, do, or think something that doesn't honor God. Both you and I will. But let's not forget God's grace toward us, and how He never hesitates to embrace our mess. Let's be quick to confess our shortcomings to Him, be grateful for how He forgives us, and praise Him for His truly amazing grace!
When was the last time you thanked God for His grace?
Happy Sunday!
Jennifer Perez is passionate about encouraging women in their faith and pointing them to the hope of Jesus through her writing and speaking. With raw honesty and occasionally some humor, she writes devotionals and shares encouraging videos on her social media platforms and blogs regularly at The Encouraging Mom Blog. She also recently released a 40-day interactive devotional called She Laughs: A 40 Day Journey to a Heart Filled with Joy and Peace, designed to help women engage with God's Word as they combat stress, anxiety, and worry.
She lives in Houston, TX with her husband Mace and 2 children, and daily misses her baby in Heaven. You can find her on Facebook @theencouragingmomblog and on Instagram @theencouragingmom !