I was driving with my sister the other day and she wanted to take a picture of the sunrise. She took the picture through my windshield which I wish was clean, but isn't. It seems as if as soon as I clean my windshield, it just gets nasty almost instantly. As she took the picture, I told her not to take it with the dead bug mess right in the middle of the picture. Please excuse the mess. Usually that's what I would put on something like this picture please excuse the mess but if I'm being honest I just don't want to deal with the mess. My aunt often says the phrase "well, that'll preach." As I was looking at this picture that my sister took, I thought "well, that will preach."
How often do we say "please excuse the mess?" However, in reality I need to admit there is a mess and come to terms with it. I need to call the mess out.
In this image, Jesus' love is the Sun. It's bright, illuminating the earth. His love is so pure and untainted. Then, I happen, my mess happens and then this view of Jesus' pure love is tainted. His love hasn't changed. My mess blocks the view. It blocks the view for me. I can't see the goodness and pureness of the love the father has for me when I'm so distracted by the mess. Instead of dealing with it, I try to look through it or ignore it.
Not only does my mess affect me, it affects the other people in my life and it affects people that I don't even have regular contact with. When you're driving, and bug splats right in your line of sight, you want that bug gone. Often, I will try my wipers and if it doesn't work, then I just leave it. If you are distracted and preoccupied with the bug, you are doing a disservice to yourself, your passengers and other people on the road.
You may be preoccupied trying to cleaning your windshield off or stopping at a gas station to clean your windshield. Other people in your car might be affected by the time it takes to clean your windshield. However, I think they would be more affected by your distractedness trying to ignore the bug even though it is blocking your sight. Who knows, maybe they would even get out of the car and help you clean the mess up. We have to be willing to deal with the mess. That is the only way that there can be redemption and restoration. The mess is not blocking us from Jesus. Jesus' love for us does not change for us, but it is blocking our perception of his love. He will forgive you, you gave his life for you, his heart is broken from my sin and the mess that is the consequence. He doesn't want me to be distracted. He wants me to clearly see his bright, pure love. It's illuminating the world around me. He wants to illuminate me, but I have to participate. Just like cleaning up the bug, I have to make the decision to deal with the mess. I have to do something in my car to do with the mess or I need to stop to clean up the mess. After I deal with it, my windshield is clear and clean. I always enjoy the feeling of a clean windshield.
God wants to restore. God wants to restore us. God wants to restore creation but we have to choose to participate. We have to choose to stop, to deal with the mess and to do the hard work of dealing with our sin and the consequences. And he's right there the whole time. Jesus is giving us the resources. You and I have to choose to use them. The grace that goes before us and that encompasses us, will work alongside what we are doing to make steps towards restoration. God will restore you. He will help you clean up the mess. You will see the bright light again. You'll see it in you, through you, around you and even in creation.
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