Homeless, homesick, homeward bound, – there’s something about the idea of “home” that cuts to the core of who we are as human beings. Created for community and relationship, we constantly search for that place called “home.” Why? Because home is that place where we always have a place, the place where we belong, the place where everybody knows our name and they know who we are – the good, the bad and the ugly.

We have embroidery worthy sayings such as, “home is where you hang your hat”, or “home is where the heart is”, “there’s no place like home”, “charity begins at home”, or simply “home sweet home”. I like this quote from William J. Bennett who said, “Home is a shelter from storms – all sorts of storms.”

Because life is full of storms – inescapable storms of every kind. There are literal storms, brought to us by the weather such as tornados, blizzards, hail, thunder storms, etc. and then there are the storms brought to us by life and circumstance including illness, loss, hardships, setbacks, disappointments, betrayals, loneliness, – the list of life’s storms is a long one. Storms are inescapable, making shelter invaluable. And so I ask, where can I find shelter from the storm in times of trouble?

“For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5)

My Heavenly Father wants to be my shelter. I read in Psalm 91:1-4 words that reassure me of this truth,

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

He who dwells, he who lives, he who abides – our dwelling, our abode, where we live – that’s home. It is often pointed out that we don’t get to choose the family we are born into and consequently the people with whom we share a home. Our earthly homes are not always safe places. We become wanderers in search of a home figuratively if not literally, as is the case for so many today. We search for physical shelter even as our souls long for spiritual shelter. Our Heavenly Father wants to give us both.

Ever have trouble finding a roommate? Is it difficult to find people who want to abide with you? Perhaps you feel ostracized by family or friends. So the realization that there is someone who invites you into their life and is asking permission to enter into yours, may come as quite a shock to you. But it’s true! And even more shocking is the identity of the person who wants to abide with me and with you.

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’ ” (John 14:23)

Another translation says, “make our abode with him”. This idea of abiding implies a lasting commitment, a permanence, a settling in and a hunkering down. It hints at a long-lasting relationship. Jesus is saying that He and His Father God want to come to me and make Their home with me! How can this be? The God who spoke the universe into existence, who calls every star by name, wants to abide with me? Then I read Jesus’s words in Revelation 3:20,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” I read this as if Jesus is saying these words personally to me, because He is,

“Here I am! I stand at your door and knock. If you hear My voice and open your door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with Me.”

What an invitation! When Jesus says He will come in and eat with me, that’s personal, deeply personal – the breaking of bread together – something Jesus did often when He was here – ending with the Last Supper when He broke bread with His disciples. But God is a uniquely personal God. He created us for relationship, for abiding with Him. Consider to what lengths He has gone to make this abiding possible,

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, . . . made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)

All this, coming here, dying for our sins, making forgiveness and reconciliation possible (reconciliation paves the way for abiding) – all so that we can abide with Him! Still, I struggle to believe that God is really that interested in abiding with me. (or with any of us mortal humans, for that matter) But God Himself dispels any doubt when He says in His Word,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14;2-3)

That’s abiding – dwelling together in the same place. This has been God’s plan all along, for me to be with Him, for anyone who accepts His invitation and opens the door, to be with Him. This is how it will be,

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

This is abiding – Jesus assures me, “Abide in Me, and I will abide in you.” (John 15:4) As I abide in Him, He promises to make His home with me.

abiding – “For in Him I live and move and have my being.” (Acts 17:28)

abiding is personal – just like Jesus, who knows every hair of my head and the way that I take. abiding – I open the door when He knocks and let Him in – we are at home together – dwelling together – that’s abiding – residing in, resting in, rejoicing in the refuge of the safe place my Heavenly Father’s presence provides me –

abiding – living, moving, being, playing, working, worshiping, learning, growing, feasting, mourning, trusting, obeying, following, belonging, crying out, being still,

abiding is knowing and being fully known and accepted (1 Corinthians 13:12) – no longer invisible – abiding is living in the shelter of His wings –

abiding – for this we were created

“I take oh cross thy shadow for my abiding place”

sincerely, Grace Day

There are certain things I count on – sunrises and sunsets – ? – ok, I can’t think of anything else at the moment that is consistently constant in life. The real constant seems to be change. Everything around me is constantly changing, including the people in my life who move around and away so often I can’t keep up and neither can my address book. I want to ask, “doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?” – as the song says. My computer is continually receiving “updates” as are phones as well. Technology is outdated before we even get it home from the store.

So you can imagine my alarm and dismay when I heard the news that BMW now has a car that changes color! This would be my worst nightmare for sure. I have trouble now finding my car in the parking lot when I come out of the store or the gym or wherever I’ve been. Sometimes my search lasts longer than at other times, but it does happen to me more often than I would want to admit. Now I have had my car for seven years and it is still the same color it has always been, yet I often have trouble locating it in a crowded parking lot, as I have just confessed to you. This is because I can’t seem to remember where I parked, not because I can’t remember what color car I drive.

But if I had a car that changes color, this would add a significant challenge to my parking lot search. I might not recognize my own car and I wouldn’t know for sure what color car I was looking for. Of course these cars are not going to be like chameleons, changing color at will on their own, playing tricks on their owners and such. I, as the car owner, will decide on the color changes and when they occur. But when I come out of the store, will I remember to what color I have most recently changed my car? I already know the answer to this question – no, I will not remember my car’s current color, even though I’m the one who committed to the color change in the first place.

There are so many things I seem to be forgetting, probably because things change so often. So I have no confidence that I would keep up with my car’s constant color changes and remember today’s chosen color. I’ve got more important things to remember, like the passwords I have chosen for so many different things that require passwords. Keeping track of my car’s color is a challenge I don’t need.

Fortunately, I won’t lose much sleep over this new car feature since I don’t think I’ll ever own a BMW. However, it is exhausting keeping up with all the other changes that occur every day, leaving me to play catch up constantly. COVID rules keep changing and I need to keep up. Quarantine is down to five days now from the original fourteen. This seems hopeful. To be “fully vaxed” now includes a booster shot. We are no longer told the vaccine will protect us from infection or stop its spread – but we are promised that it will prevent hospitalization and death. Fauci said masks weren’t necessary, then he made masks mandatory.

The rules for travel and testing change daily, making planning ahead tenuous at best. Is it a vaccine passport that’s required or a negative test? or both? seventy-two hours before or forty-eight? Two weeks to flatten the curve is approaching two years and the conflicting information I am given changes daily. If only there were something or someone who didn’t change – something or someone that I could count on to remain constant in this world of constant change. This would be an anchor for me, something to keep me from getting swept up and away in the constant chaos of uncertainty and change. Hebrews 13:8 has the answer,

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

The consistency I long for and the comfort that it brings are found in the person of Jesus. This is reaffirmed in James 1:17 when James describes God as,

“the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

In Numbers I read, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.” (Numbers 23:19-20)

How often am I lied to by those I trust? How often do people change their minds? I know I change my mind often enough as I am bombarded by changing information from all sides. But I have found a constant to hold onto in this chaotic, ever changing, always uncertain world. Jesus’s words reassure me,

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Today I can say along with the apostle Paul,

” . . . I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12) The New Living Translation of God’s word says the same thing in this way,

” . . . for I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.” (2 Timothy 1:12 NLT)

I have believed Jesus, I can trust Him (because He does not change) I can entrust myself and my future to Him because He is able to keep me. He will guard my life until the day of His return.

Lord, thank You for being the same yesterday and today and forever. You are my constant in this inconstant world,

sincerely, Grace Day

Ok, I admit it. I get attached to my Christmas decorations and I put off taking them down and packing them away. Sure, part of this is my natural procrastination inclination, but mostly I just like having them out where I can see and enjoy them. They are full of memories as they are connections to Christmases past and the people who gave them to me. But there’s another reason I put off packing away my decorations.

Taking down my tree and packing away my decorations always leaves me feeling vaguely sad and somehow disappointed. It doesn’t seem to matter how many gifts I got or how great a time I had visiting with family and friends. This post-Advent let down of mine has more to do with the fact that Christmas has come and gone and the anticipation is now over. You see, the world during Advent is by definition a world made up of days filled with anticipation, with preparation, with excitement and with hope.

We wait with expectation, excitement and hope for any number of things during the month of December – the arrival of Santa, certain foods we maybe only prepare and enjoy during Advent, spending time with family members and others we don’t often see, special music we only hear at Christmas, decorating, celebrating the Advent season with others at Christmas parties, a concert, a school Christmas pageant, a candlelight church service – all part of the anticipation of Advent.

Maybe more so when we were children, but even as adults we look forward to these and other things during Advent. After all, children (of all ages?) wonder what’s in those unopened presents under the tree. We wait eagerly for the time when we are allowed to open them and find out. During this time of waiting, anything is possible, until the gifts are actually opened, thus ending the dreams of what they might be with the reality of what they actually are.

It seems like this is what happened that first Christmas. When God gave His long-promised gift, His Son, Jesus, to the world, the world suffered the first post-Advent let down. Today we may call it post holiday blues or after Christmas depression, but it’s all the same thing – the let down we experience now that the gifts have been given, the anticipation is over and the disappointment has set in.

In this post-Advent world, we are living with the let down that follows a season full of anticipation, preparation, excitement and hope, just like the people in Jesus’s day were living with their own post-Advent let down. You see, their prophets had long been promising them that God would send them a King to deliver them from the oppression they suffered at the hands of other nations, such as Rome. Consequently, they were expecting, indeed they had been anticipating for centuries a rich, powerful, educated, well-connected, royal ruler to lead them in battle against their enemies and deliver them from their current bondage.

Imagine their disappointment when the promised gift turned out to be a baby in a manger, born in obscurity to poor parents with no power or position whatsoever. Talk about your post-Advent let down. We read in John 1:10-11,

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.”

They didn’t recognize Jesus as the promised gift of God which the prophets had predicted. They rejected God’s gift. Their anticipation was over. The gift had been given and they were disappointed in the gift. Now that the gift had been unwrapped, so to speak, anticipation was gone and along with it hope. Their hope had been in a promised Messiah, not in a helpless baby in a manger.

Not everyone felt this way, however. Remember Simeon? He recognized God’s gift of His Son for what it really was – the gift of eternal life, the gift that does not disappoint.

“Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:23)

“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.’ ” (Isaiah 28:16)

Simeon was not disappointed with God’s gift of the baby in the manger. We read his story in Luke,

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. . . . When the parents brought in the child Jesus . . . Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.’ ” (Luke 2:25-32)

Simeon did recognize and accept God’s promised gift. Simeon was not disappointed in the least. In fact, he rejoiced in God’s gift of salvation, praised Him and thanked Him that he could now die in peace. Simeon’s long anticipation was rewarded with his hope fulfilled in the gift of Jesus. He was not disappointed in Jesus, nor would Jesus disappoint him.

Now although I began this post by saying that we are living in a post-Advent world, that is not entirely true. We are between Advents. I guess that makes this an inter-Advent era? Jesus has come (first Advent), Jesus is coming back again (second Advent). So, as I stated earlier in this post, if we are living in days of Advent, then by definition these days are days filled with anticipation, with preparation, with excitement, and with hope.

Doesn’t sound like what you and I are currently experiencing? or like what we see around us in this world, does it? I wonder why? Is it that we think all the gifts have been opened, all the sweet treats eaten, all the songs have been sung and there is nothing left to anticipate, to prepare for, to get excited about or to hope for now? We couldn’t be more wrong, dear readers. Jesus promised to return, we just don’t know when that will be. I guess we find it harder to prepare for something when we don’t have a target date or a deadline to meet. (we procrastinators find deadlines particularly helpful in motivating us)

Must have been how the Israelites felt while waiting for their promised Messiah for so many centuries. It is hard to stay prepared and excited and hopeful over such a long time. But that is what we are called to do today. Every day can be a day of anticipation, preparation, excitement, (I’ll throw in joy for good measure) and hope. We do not lose hope because we have God’s promise. And hope sustains through dark days and tough times. Because Jesus promised He will return, we do have something to anticipate, to prepare ourselves for, to be excited about, to be joyful over and to hope in.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12-130

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Lord, let my inter-Advent days be filled, each one, with Advent’s gifts of anticipation, preparation, excitement, joy and hope – yes, hope – something this world sorely needs right now – hope – one of Your many good and perfect gifts – (James 1:17)

sincerely, Grace Day

There’s strength in numbers. There’s safety in numbers – two maxims I’ve heard often. However, today an image comes to mind, inescapable, burned in my brain some thirty years ago. I carry it with me still. It has not lost its clarity nor its call. I see it still in my mind’s eye, this photograph of a single, solitary figure standing alone in a great, empty expanse of a town square, face to face with a military tank, a tank which is the first in a single file line of tanks approaching as the lone figure stands his ground.

The year was 1989 and the place was Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The person who faced the line of military tanks alone has not been positively identified to this day. He was arrested and carried away, never to be heard from again. (there were rumors he was executed shortly afterward) Ironic – his action was in protest of the lack of free speech in his country, China. The response to his protest was to silence his voice permanently. He was not heard from again. But the image of his courageous action could not be silenced nor erased. The photograph lives on, inspiring future generations around the world. In this case, one picture is worth a thousand words and so much more.

But here’s another irony. While people around the globe have seen this iconic image often in the thirty years since his protest was captured on film, his own countrymen do not have access to this photo because it is banned in China as are all memories of the protests and subsequent massacre that took place in Tiananmen Square in the spring of 1989. (a memorial to the Tiananmen Square massacre of ’89 was recently taken down from a Hong Kong university because it commemorated all those who lost their lives protesting government censorship and the accompanying lack of free speech in China)

So there is a generation growing up in China today that knows nothing of the Tiananmen Square protests because the government has attempted to erase through censorship every trace of what occurred there, even to removing memorials and banning photographs of the event. It is as if it never took place. Out of sight – out of mind. But I doubt even a Communist regime can erase the memory of this event from the minds of the million or more people who were those protesters in April, May and June of 1989. Those that survived the massacre carry the truth of what happened with them even though they are not allowed to share that truth with others. Fear is a powerful silencer.

The protests that had begun with such promise as the crowds grew large, ended with one person alone, facing a line of tanks. After weeks of protest and confrontation, which did not end in the victory of freedom for all (nor for any) nor of free speech, this final image of a small man facing down a huge tank, was all that was left. But this is not an image of defeat. It is an image of the courage and resilience and perseverance of the human spirit. It is an image of hope. It is an image of the power of one.

How often we underestimate the power of one! There is a song I remember singing growing up, which contained the words, “though none go with me, I still will follow.” The reference is to following Jesus even if others don’t come with me, meaning it may be an unpopular choice and I may be alone in my decision. Jesus even said as much to those thinking about following Him –

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.’ ” (Matthew 16:24-25)

You don’t get a lot of takers with that kind of an invitation. Consider what else Jesus said when He had this conversation with a would-be follower,

“Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.’ ” (Matthew 8:19-20)

Again, not a big inducement to leave everything and follow Jesus. But Peter did. He left everything and followed Jesus. The power of one. Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) Never underestimate the power of one.

The lone man facing the line of tanks in Tiananmen Square reminds me of another brave man who faced something and someone bigger than himself all alone. This is David facing down the giant Goliath, all by himself. The Israelites were afraid to fight their enemies, the Philistines. They lived in fear of them and were being conquered by them. No one would stand up to the giant Philistines. Then David volunteered for the job.

“David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; (Goliath) your servant will go and fight him.’ Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.’ ” (1 Samuel 17:32-33)

Now Goliath was described as over nine feet tall and we are told that all in Israel were scared of him. “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” (1 Samuel 17:11)

But David went out to face the giant, Goliath, who had been terrorizing Israel, and David won! He killed Goliath and this gave the rest of the men in Israel’s army such courage that they then faced their invaders and conquered them, driving them from their land and setting themselves free from the harsh rule of the Philistines. It took one to stand up and face the enemy alone. Then others followed. Never underestimate the power of one.

The power of one can change the world. Martin Luther stood alone against the established church of his day and the world when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Wittenburg church in 1517. One stood up to the accepted way of thinking at the time and the world was forever changed. Thus began the Protestant Reformation.

A few centuries later, another one would stand up to the prevailing powers of his day. And how fitting that this one should share the name of his predecessor, who, like him, sought to change the world for the better and often found himself standing alone in the struggle. World changing is most often a lonely business, requiring more courage than most believe they have within them. However, Martin Luther King, Jr. showed no shortage of courage as he stood face to face with the giant of the injustices of his day and sought to right what was wrong. Like the “tankman” from Tiananmen Square, he was killed for taking a stand for freedom for all. But his words cannot be silenced. His “I have a dream speech” lives on, encouraging each one of us today to judge each other by “the content of our character, not the color of our skin.”

The power of one. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy lives on. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he said “the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,” but how wrong he was! We still know the words of the Gettysburg Address to this day. I had to memorize them in fourth grade, we all did. It was a requirement. Why? Why do we need to remember? So that we don’t forget. Because when we forget what freedom is, what it feels like, what it looks like, what others did to secure it for us, we lose it. We let it slip silently away while we are busy pursuing other lesser things.

Lincoln stood alone in his time. He stood for freedom for all and he stood for preserving this country. The Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War resulted from these desires. Lincoln was killed by those who opposed the freedom and unity he wanted for this country. Still, his vision became reality over time. Not without great cost, however. Lincoln cautioned in his address,

“we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

That’s why we remember. So that we don’t forget the price that those who came before us paid to purchase the freedoms we enjoy today, even as we take them for granted and hold them so loosely that they slip through our fingers and eventually fall beyond our grasp. Then we will understand too late why the rest of the world risks their lives to come here. Those that come will then find a place so like the one they have left, they will wonder why they ever came here.

The pledge of allegiance, the National Anthem, the Fourth of July, the Lord’s Supper – we remember the cost and we celebrate our freedom and our forgiveness, respectively. We can’t celebrate if we don’t remember that we have something worth celebrating. These things also remind us that we have something worth fighting for, too. No wonder those that would take away our freedoms want memorials gone and history erased, lest we be inspired once again, by an image of a lone man facing down a tank, which causes us to remember the power of one and take a stand ourselves.

In every era, it seems, there has been an individual who would stand up and face down the giant. I am wondering today, in this post-truth time of censorship and suppression, who will be the truthtellers? Those who speak out today, quickly find that they are standing alone. But if history is any judge, the power of one should not be underestimated. I hope I have the courage that Isaiah did in this conversation,

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I (Isaiah) said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ” (Isaiah 6:8)

We all face giants that challenge us in our daily lives. Perhaps by standing up for what is right and what is true, even at our own peril, we will inspire someone else to stand up, as well. I can’t wait for another Tankman or another Martin Luther King Jr. to come along before I decide to stand up and speak out. The time is now. The power of one to change the world for the better is mine and is yours, dear reader, today and every day. I don’t want fear to stop me from standing up for what is right or from speaking truth even when it puts me in danger.

The power of one to change the world cannot be underestimated.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

sincerely, Grace Day

Advent is ending. Well, technically not until January sixth according to some, but this season is drawing to a close. I like to think that Advent’s parting gift is the gift of a clean slate. This is something I desire more than anything else – a clean slate, a fresh start, a new beginning, a do-over, past offenses erased, no debt held against me, nothing holding me back. I can write on the slate whatever I want. There is nothing already written on this clean slate to prevent me from writing something new.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? At this point I should point out that this phrase “clean slate” refers to the slate chalkboards that were used in schools not all that long ago. They had to be wiped clean at the end of each school day so that new work and words of instruction could be written on the board for the next school day. Each school day started with a clean slate, so to speak. Yesterday’s mistakes were erased and forgotten. Every student started the day with a clean slate. (students often had individual slates in the 1800’s) Today, I prefer a white board and dry erase markers (no chalk dust), but the concept remains the same, whether it’s a blank white board or a clean slate.

Either way, it sounds too good to be true. How can I ever be free of my past mistakes and hurts and offenses – both those against me and those I have done to others? A clean slate seems an impossible, unattainable, highly unlikely gift to receive for Christmas or for New Year’s or for any time of the year, for that matter. I can’t wipe my own slate clean and others don’t seem willing to or aren’t able to grant me a clean slate either. And so my slate remains full of past regrets and offenses, while continuing to accumulate more and more as time passes. As long as my slate remains full of past mistakes, full of yesterday’s issues, there is no room for me to write anything new on it today.

I so want to receive this last gift of Advent, the gift of a clean slate. But how? I recall these words from Isaiah,

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” (Isaiah 1:18)

That kind of sounds like the promise of a clean slate to me. How about you, dear readers? King David was someone who desperately wanted a clean slate, a do-over, a second chance. He knew where to go to ask for this gift. David knew there was only One who could give him this miracle of a clean slate. And that’s exactly what a clean slate is, dear readers, it is nothing short of a miracle. David cried out to God,

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. . . . Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. . . . Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:1-10)

As it turns out, the miraculous gift of a clean heart and of a clean slate are gifts God desires to give to anyone who would draw near to Him and ask, simply ask. Consider what God’s word says,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)

” ‘I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. . . . they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’ ” (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:10-14)

This is all such good news! The gift of a clean slate is mine for the asking from my Heavenly Father. In fact in Isaiah I read,

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18)

There’s that word compassion again. It seems that compassion is the eraser necessary to wipe away all my offenses, all my sin and leave me with a clean slate, ready to begin again. Romans 8:1-2 reassures me saying,

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

No condemnation – that is the gift the clean slate gives. My Heavenly Father has given me the gift of a clean slate. And just like the school chalkboards, I receive this gift new every morning.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

I am so grateful and glad that my Heavenly Father is a God of second chances, of multiple do-overs, of infinite mercy and forgiveness towards me, no matter how dirty my slate gets. It is God’s mercy and forgiveness that washes it clean every morning, every time I bring it to Him and ask, just like David did when he cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

Today I am thinking, since God does this for me – forgives my offenses against Him, does not hold them against me but forgets them and gives me another chance, shouldn’t I be offering this gift of a clean slate to others, to those who have hurt me or trespassed against me? If God keeps no record of wrong, why should I? As God grants each of us clean slates, shouldn’t we be doing this for each other on a daily basis? When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus answered him,

“I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22)

This number was a reference to infinity, meaning there was no limit on the number of times forgiveness could be given. God is merciful to me without limit. Since God’s supply of mercy to me is infinite, I can be merciful towards others without fear of running out. As we read, “His mercies are new every morning.”

So Happy New Year world! The Creator of the universe, who gives me my clean slate, wants to give you a clean slate too! My Heavenly Father is offering you, you sad and troubled world, and every single person living in you, this gift of a clean slate – a new beginning, a fresh start, a do-over, a second chance, forgiveness of your sins and reconciliation with Him. This gift is yours for the asking.

My gift to you today world, is what I have received from my Heavenly Father – a clean slate. I will not hold your offenses against you, but will give you the second chance that I so desire for myself. Just imagine – if we all gave the gift of clean slates to each other, how different would this world be? No longer the world of the offended, the aggrieved, the angry, the vengeful – but a world where compassion, mercy and forgiveness wash all these wrongs away and peace prevails.

perhaps the gifts of a clean slate are peace and hope – and what better gifts to give the world than peace and hope on this New Year’s Day?

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. . . . In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! (hope) I have overcome the world.” (John 14:27 & John 16:33)

wishing you the gift of a clean slate complete with peace and hope,

sincerely, Grace Day