Nicole’s e-Pistle

August 28, 2024

Greetings, Friends!

I hope this note finds you all well!

I have been busy most afternoons this week painting at the new house. I really enjoy the time to do something with my hands and give my mind a break. I am no artist, but painting a wall is somewhat therapeutic for me. I start with a wall that was painted in the cheapest flat paint available from the builders (all their options were varying shades of gray, so I chose the lightest). Then, as I move the brush and roller over the wall, it becomes covered in soft sky blue, vivid teal, or fuchsia pink… then I reevaluate one room, lighten the color by 75%, and recover Livinia’s walls in a nice ballerina pink!

Once the paint dried, I noticed that not every color covered the same. Layfe’s misty “Blue Stream” covered evenly and only needed one coat, while the teal was so dark, the flat gray showed through the first coat and will need a second (on my list for tomorrow afternoon).

All this painting makes me think about how our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. It’s like the words to the hymn, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus… Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow…” We also talk about the waters of baptism washing us of our sin.

Yet, our sins are still there underneath, lining the sheetrock. Being covered does not mean we become perfect. Walking with God in faith, loving as Jesus loves, does not erase the ways in which we still veer from the path. It does not negate the ways we still hurt one another. What it means, is that our sins and failings are invisible to God. Jesus has covered us in the highest quality exquisite colors. The dull gray of our sin is still there, but God sees only radiant beauty!

May you always know how loved you are, and may you always feel well-covered by God’s grace!