First Steps – April 12, 2021

Lately, I’ve welcomed the rain.  Actually, something amazing happened when it rained, my “pollen colored” car was transformed back into its original navy blue.  At the same time, after the midday shower, I went outside to feel the cooler temperature.  The air was different.  I could actually take a deep breath without the worry of congestion.  Everything looked clean and fresh; however, about an hour later, my wife pulled out of our driveway and there was this greenish-yellow stained box in our driveway where her car had been parked.  It was like the pollen residue resisted the rain.  The flowers and shrubs looked alive and new. Everything looked new but that ugly residue.

 

As I’ve thought of this scene, I can’t help but draw some theological similarities.  Similar to pollen, sin has the potential to cover everything.  I once heard a definition for sin as something that has a good origin but becomes perverted or taken to the extreme so that it produces destruction.  For instance, pride is rooted in self-love, a good thing, but when taken to the extreme, one overinflates at the expense of others.  It then becomes unhealthy self-love. 

Pollen, which is helpful to the plant kingdom, can cause havoc with people; however, when cleansed by the rain, can be restorative.  One of the symbols for the Holy Spirit is water and often the image of rain is used to describe God’s forgiveness of sin. But just as there can be a pollen residue, there is often a sin residue left in a person’s life. The good news is that God’s forgiveness and the Holy Spirit continually work to bring about purity.  

This week remember the work of God in your life.  Trust in the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit and the promise that it is a continual work.