a cleansing love

my classroom should qualify as a national disaster emergency. there is never enough time in the day to straighten every nook and cranny, file away every master copy; check, grade, return and stuff worksheets into the folders of 18 half-human, half-tasmanian devils, or throw away the eleventeenth plastic straw wrapper from those wretched, over-sugared capri sun's. and the book shelf?! they can't even read, let alone make sure the books are returned to their categorical tubs or places on the shelf based on their seasonal topic or subject matter.

needless to say, the last thing to get cleaned is my white board. full of marker dust from weeks passed, the smudged red-and-blue-makes-purple is a faint reminder of just how dirty the board is. when i remove a magnetized sign that typically hangs in a permanent spot, i am even more reminded of how dirty the board is in comparison with its pristine (albeit, generally hidden) counterparts. even with my special Expo brand dry-erase-eraser (oh, yes), there is this thin, filmy rainbow residue that reminds me, mocks me!, that it's just not all that clean.

even beyond the visible mockery, the kids have joined in on it, too! "ms. debaylo! i can still see it! it still says 'like' and 'play!'" at least they are getting their sight-words in for the day. i just feel another stick in the side as a reminder of yet anotherthing that is awry in my classroom.

they just think it is entirely all-too-wonderful that they can still see the past on the board, even when it's been wiped clean.

***

so do we.

Jesus has washed our hearts with only the purest of water. He has cleaned our slate, completely, leaving no residue behind. He keeps no record of our wrongs, and unlike my ever-honest 5-year-olds, He doesn't constantly remind us of just how dirty our past was before He wiped it clear. it is completely, utterly, unfathomably beyond me as to how He can look at us with perfect forgiveness, but He has.

Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."

dear friends, i hope you know and have experienced this freeing feeling of infinite forgiveness. abide in the grace and mercy of the Lord and allow His love to penetrate the cavernous parts of your hearts that have not yet allowed to be brought into the light. it will change your life. He will change your heart.