His good is better than my bad is bad

I have spent the last few weekends working at a small cottage style house in downtown Salem. It has a great location, only two streets away from the best donut shop in town and even closer to the best breakfast place in the valley, their crème brûlée French toast and cinnamon roll pancakes are to die for.

This house at one point was the pride and joy of some ones life, with its beautiful wood floors throughout, a massive backyard with a covered and lit outdoor dining area complete with a stone outdoor oven ready for bbqing.

This place was made so beautifully, someone had taken painstaking time planning and designing this home, but over the past 50-60 some odd years this house has started to show the wear and tear of the busy lives that have been lived within its four walls.

When I first stepped into the house I was overwhelmed by the strong scent of the history lived out within the walls. The carpets confirmed the abuse and pounding that life had dished out as the house lay underfoot. As we surveyed the once treasured home it became apparent to us that the house was only a shell of the home it once was.

Once beautiful and full of life, now cold, empty and run ragged.

We pulled up the carpet to see if we could salvage the padding underneath only to discovered just how permeated the house had become with the residue of this messy world.

As I walked through the hallways that lay bare, the once glowing oak floors lay dim with dirt and grime, stained and streaked by water damage. I started reflecting on what a messy state this house was in. Everything was dreary, damp and dark a shadow of what it was intended to be.

At the same time I started sensing the Lord wanting to speak something into my heart. As I shared in my last post this is a season of transition for us, a season of unknowns. It seems that when we have so much in life that is uncertain we can easily throw our hands up and give up trying to know anything at all. But as I began the renovation of this little house, I started to reflect on the stains, the smells and damage this house had laid exposed, I sensed the Lord saying look closely. I want to remind you of something you can know today and find hope in.

You see the simple truth of human history is that we were all beautifully created with skill and careful planning, precise measurements for the delight of our maker. Yet, through the rebellion of our choosing and often the injury from others, our lives although once beautiful and full of life, can become cold, empty and run ragged.

Our lives at times resemble this house. The hallways of our heart are filled with scuff marks from being stepped on. The stains of sin in our lives serve to deface and diminish the beautiful image of God built into us.

As it turned out the floors of the small house were a total loss, they had to be painted over and sealed, drenched in pure white paint.

I must admit, my favorite bit of the job was cracking open the 5 gallon vat of white paint and just splashing it on everything in sight. Covering the floors, the scuff marks the drywall patch jobs the cracks and crevices. Covering every imperfection.

In the process I took advantage of the object lesson and began writing out my real life struggles and sins on the floors, a sort of confession before God.

As painted over my sins I was reminded that His grace is greater than my sin. Though my sins were as scarlet, He makes me white as snow.

I got so excited at the beauty of grace that I was nearly dumping the white paint on the ground splashing it everywhere. I wasn’t worried about getting it on the walls or the molding; it was all in need of covering. And so it is with me.

Every inch of me needs cleansing, restoration and healing. Life is difficult, painful and confusing but one simple truth I learned from the Lord this week.

God is lavish with His grace, He doesn’t tape off window ceils when painting with His grace in our lives Ephesians 1:7-8 says as much. Know this His grace more than enough for us because:

            -His good is better than my bad is bad-

The Bible tells us that is the truth for each one of us even the most seasoned of sinners. The Apostle Paul put it like this “…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” – Romans 5:20

-His good (grace) is better (stronger, greater, more weighty), than your bad is bad-

I wonder if that is good news to anyone else this week? What is the state of your house, your heart? Do you have scuff marks, stains and smells? Are you broken down and in need of repair?

Know this –His good is better than your bad is bad

Call on the name of Jesus, the Son, the Savior, the Restorer and Healer.