The lined weather pants I wear to work keep my legs warm against the cold weather of the night shift. But sometimes the site has more mud than a normal person can even imagine. At those times the pants get caked in muck from the knee down. The legs get wet from the ankle down as they drag in the puddles.

The weight from wet and mud can actually pull the waist lower than suits the situation. Then I tie the string a little tighter after hiking them up a little higher.

But what ever dirt, moisture or dust gathers on the snowpants one thing remains unchanged – they remain snowpants.

Sometimes identifying what they are makes an interesting mystery. That doesn’t alter the fact that someone made them as snowpants, someone else sold them as such, Margaret bought them for that purpose and I wear them because of their usefulness.

Now, sometimes a wipe with a wet cloth will clean them ready to use for the next shift. At other times only a thorough wash in the machine can hope to restore them to their normal look. But in all this they were, are and will be snowpants.

People mess up. They may need a major forgiving and washing from sin. But they came into life as a creation of God. They stay that way their whole life.

We may mess up so badly that we look messy, but Jesus can clean up any mess or muss without guess or fuss and wash us so clean we feel like, look like, enthuse like a fresh item unsullied by any mess, muck, dirt or dust.

Don’t stay in your mess. Jump out of the mire and get on fire for the Saviour.

What does it take? Water (Paraclete), soap (Jesus’ blood), softener  (God’s kindness) and a dirty rag (us) to get a sparkling clean and fresh-scented, wonderfully renewed garment.

“Come on now, let’s discuss this!” says the Lord. “Though your sins are bright red, they will become as white as snow. Though they are dark red, they will become as white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18 God’s Word).

My Child ” ‘was dead and has come back to life; was lost but has been found.’ ” Then they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24 God’s Word, slightly altered).

See Also

Praise God for the Muck