Though I now live in the Sunshine State, I miss the snow. I’d be lying if I said I yearned for the cold, but I especially miss watching that first winter snowfall blanket the ground with what looks like a coating of powdered sugar—clean, spotless, radiant—the grunginess of fall’s decay hidden from view.

Have you ever wanted aspects of your life covered like that? I have. Our sins and guilt can cause us to see ourselves as decaying rubble, unworthy of anything but the bonfire Satan has in store for us. But in the midst of our regret, God reminds us, “‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow’” (Isaiah 1:18).

Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, all our grunginess is hidden from God’s holiness. And when we put our faith and trust in Christ, God sees us as clean, spotless, radiant.  

At times, that’s hard for me to imagine. For some, it can be hard to accept. But did you catch the first part of Isaiah’s message from God? “Let us settle the matter.” God’s grace is a once-and-for-all deal. No going back—no reversing his decision.

That doesn’t mean our lives won’t get grimy again. But we can be confident that we will always remain blanketed with the glistening righteousness of Christ.

Go play in the snow!