What A Mess!

What A Mess!

In my neighborhood there’s this house with a yard that is truly impossible to describe. They have used busted up concrete and rubble to line their driveway and make borders for flower beds. On one side of the yard, they’ve planted an old, broken, plastic rocking horse as some sort of yard art, and on the other side is a large dead bush….I know it is dead because in the middle of summer it still has no leaves. On this dead bush they have placed giant red Christmas bows, and in the center of the bush….a stuffed santa toy that is now droopy and soggy from the rain. There are random piles of rubble all over the yard, a forest of dead plants sitting in planters and a Christmas teddy bear strapped to the top of the mailbox…also soggy wet. To top it all off, the centerpiece of the yard is a large pile of concrete rubble with a big, white, plastic planter sitting on top. Inside the planter they have placed every kind of ugly plastic, red and green flower bouquet imaginable, interspersed with garland. It looks like the Grinch threw up everything he stole from the Whos. I’m not kidding….I couldn’t make this up if I tried! You should see it at Valentine’s Day and Easter!!

Today as I drove past that horrible mess it made me think. No matter how hard you try to dress it up, no matter how many brightly colored flowers, ornaments or sparkly things, no matter how “cuddly” we try to make it look….you can’t cover up sin. It is ugly, plain and simple. No matter what you try, you can’t make it look better and you can’t hide it from God. It is what it is, plain and simple. The good news is, we don’t have to leave it that way. No matter how big or ugly our sin is, Jesus can wipe it all away. All we have to do is accept His love, His sacrifice and His forgiveness. Once we do that, we are beautiful in God’s eyes and all the ugliness is gone forever! If you haven’t accepted God’s free gift of salvation, what better time than Christmas to do so! All you have to do it ask. It really is that simple.

(Wish it was that simple for that yard!)



John 3:16 – “For God loved us so much, that He gave up His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but will have everlasting life.”