The Secret to Streak-free

From time to time, I attempt to look out a window. And from time to time (Read: every dog-gone day!) I cannot see out of said windows. Reason being, we have a boy and a dog. If it's not fingerprints, it's nose prints. So, I get out the cleaner and go to work. There is a technique, of course; because, if I clean the inside of the window first, then move to the outside, as I am standing in the great outdoors, the occupants inside are watching and, for some inexplicable reason, if you have four legs or are under the age of twenty-seven, you must put your nose and/or your fingers on the glass as you watch. The technique, however, provides at least a modicum of satisfaction the job has been completed. According to the technique, I leave the inside occupants right where they are, move to the outside and clean that side of the glass, then return to the inside and clean that side. The theory is, once the show is over, the crowd disperses, and the windows --both sides --remain clean for longer than it takes me to clean them. Or, at least, that's what I tell myself.

As I was religiously following the tenets of the technique the other day, I began to think about God "wiping our slate clean." Scripture assures us, His people, those who come to Him through the blood of Jesus, He remembers our sins no more. To Him, the slate remains streak-free. Now, that's not to say we can't muck it up with our sin and rebellion. Of course we can! But how does He, the Master of accounts, reckon it when we do? Still streak-free! As far as He is concerned, we are righteous because Jesus Christ is our Advocate and Substitute; He took the condemnation we deserved, and we are no longer condemned. 

How are things on our side of the glass, though? Oh, the dirt is there! We see it. Our Adversary seeks to remind us of it. The lies, the gossip, the infidelity, the avoidance, the meanness we display toward that person who just grates on our last nerve. They're all there; the streaks and prints on our side of the glass. They obstruct our vision and distort our perspective of the One who truly loves us beyond measure. We can't see what God can see --not in Him, not in others, and not in ourselves. The dirt and smudges become so thick, we may even abandon the idea of trying to look. The fingerprints on our side of the glass are our own, and we can't seem to reconcile the fact that from the other side, from the side of the God who loves us so much He gave His only Son to die in our place, securing for us forgiveness, eternal life, a relationship --from His side, the glass is pristine, our slate is wiped clean. Not that we might sin again, mind you, but that we might stay free, that we might go forth with the joy of having all things made new. That we might see the possibilities and the future our Heavenly Father sees. That we might peer through the glass to the truth as He has made it known to those who seek His face. That we might sit with our faces toward the Light as it streams unimpeded through the crystal-clear windows of our hearts. That we might look with hope and certainty to the vision God has for each of those He has called.

The promises of God are sure. His word is trustworthy and unchanging. Walk in obedience. Rest in forgiveness. And see His glory!