It snowed yesterday. It was not much, about an inch in our backyard; but it was enough to make a cluttered backyard beautiful. I say "cluttered" because we have two kids and two Golden Retrievers. Between the kids and the dogs, winter is hard on a backyard; makes it look like a tornado hit a yard sale. The dormant grass has ruts in it where the dogs run. There are fire logs laying in the middle of the yard, brought there from the wood pile by one of the dogs who prefers gnawing tree bark to bones. Then there are the toys, mostly old ones, that have been relegated to the outside toy bin due to their age and state of disrepair. They litter the ground around the kids' fort, we call it Fort Davis. My wife has rightly complained, "Why don't WE clean all that stuff up?" And I reply, "WE have a 12 year old, a four year old, and two dogs who just take it back out there again." I'm lazy. I know.
But yesterday, if only for a few hours, the clutter was gone, covered by a white layer of snow. I knew the stuff was still there, but it was sure nice to see it spotless. Once the snow was gone, I could tell that the backyard will require some work. But for a while, the snow pictured for me what a spotless yard can look like. Perfect. My life is my backyard. Filled with clutter that doesn't really belong there. It shows signs of wear, neglect, and yes, some destruction. But when God looks at me He only sees the snow. He sees what Christ has made me and what He is making me into. He is making me...well, perfect.
But I am not there yet. I guess that's what Paul was trying to say when he wrote... "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). Jesus took a hold of me that I might be made like Him. I know I have a long way to go with all my clutter, death, and brokenness. But God sees the snow. It reminds me to live in that grace and daily know Jesus is helping me become the person God sees. Grace, like snow, covers me, covers you. The snow may have melted, but it's still falling and it's piling up around us. That's grace. God always sees the snow.