Paint

I don’t know if this is really significant or not.  But I think there HAS to be an illustration here someplace.  So a little stream of consciousness here, but let’s see if we can come up with something…

A year ago I painted two walls of my house.  A year later, portions of one of the wall need to be repainted.  Yes they were washed.  Yes they were scraped.  Not all the wall, mind you.  Just one portion.  This produces frustration obviously.  Its money and time to paint.  Its not something I enjoy.  And I don’t like getting my clothes covered with paints spots and streaks.  Its inevitable. It will always happen.

And it always happens that so  me times I would come home from the church, still dressed in something “decent,” and I would try to paint.  After all, “I will be REALLY careful THIS time.” 

Haha.

So I started changing into clothes that were more work type clothes.  But I still splash on them.  And pretty soon I look like some renegade from a clown nuthouse.  So not only is there a time investment in painting, and a money investment, but there is also an investment in extra shampoo (for getting it out of my hair)  and clothing and shoes which can never be worn for anything except other paint jobs.

I am sloppy with paint.  I spill it.  A year ago I was painting in the church and spilled some outside of it.  And wouldn’t you know it, that paint is still there.  Not peeling.  Not flaking or chipping.  Not washing away.  If deliberately put it on my walls, it will peel.  Spill it on the pavement, and its NEVER going away.

A few years back I was painting the garage at the church...just touching up a couple of bare spots.  White paint.  Some little kid (I don’t remember who) came by, got his/her hands and feet in it, and walked across the old school yard in the back.  Even after walking across the yard, he/she was still leaving prints on the sidewalk and the road...ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GREEN AREA!!!

At that point, he/she dropped down, and put some nice hand prints on what then was a brand new sidewalk laid down by our fine public works man, Tom B.

The hand prints are still there and look like they were put down yesterday.

There are still foot prints out there.  Not as strong as the hand prints.  But still there.  But put the paint on my house (or for that matter on the church garage) and there she goes.  I think there is a layer of teflon on my garage and house that does not exist on sidewalks.  Maybe they should spray it on them.  “No stick sidewalks.”

Here are some spiritual applications.

1) We leave a mark where ever we go.  What kind of mark are you leaving behind?  Do you want a mark that leaves a fond memory of you?  Or are you leaving the kind that people want to scrape away when you are gone?

2) No matter how careful we are, we will find that there will be “mistakes.” When Jesus comes into our lives, he scrapes off the old paint mess, and paints us up in Him.  His paint does not chip, soil or fade.  The Father sees us in Him, and deals with us gently as sons.  He will never call us out based on the old paint job.   And no matter how careful we are, we will get the paint dirty.  But Jesus will clean us up if we ask Him to do so.

3)There is a really cool product out right now.  Its called 3M paint protection film.  It goes on your car, and keeps the rocks and other things that can come at you as you are driving, and keeps your paint safe.  Its even self repairing to an extent.  

Jesus is like that for our lives.  He covers us.  He keeps us safe.  He fixes the chips.  And He WILL present you complete and whole in Him when He comes in His glory.