Our son Andrew really likes baby powder, sugar and salt. The only place he doesn’t like them is in the containers they usually come in. He loves for them to cover the floor, bed, toys, clothes, dishes and basically every surface and room in the house.
I am still amazed at how quickly the latest supply of baby powder wound up on him, all over our bedroom, one of our cats and parts of the hallway.
I had briefly turned away from him to fold some clothes when all of a sudden I smelled a very pleasant but overwhelming talcum odor. It literally took Andrew only seconds to have a wonderful time emptying this latest container.
As he looked at me through his powdery mask and cheesy grin from ear to ear, I observed something he was completely oblivious to.
Though I truly enjoy his infectious happiness, I clearly saw the many hours it would take to wipe down the windows and sills, books, dresser, plastic clothes hamper, bed frame, door and cat; vacuum and mop the floors; and wash the clothes and bedding that had been powdered.
There’s a spiritual parallel here. Like Andrew and the powder, we do not see sin the same way God looks at it. What we might see as just having “fun,” He sees as “falling short of His glory” (Romans 3:23) and worthy of death (Romans 6:23) and eternal separation from Him.
As Andrew was unable to fully clean up his powdery mess, we are also unable to wash away our sin problem on our own. God, out of His incredible love, provided our “cleaning solution,” His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16). God offers eternal life and forgiveness to all, but only those who repent, believe and call on His name will be saved (Romans 10:9-13, John 3:36).
As the apostle Paul tells us in Titus 3:4-6: “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”