Am I dingy or white as snow?

Several weeks ago Mark Jr. handed me the notice of his Spring Band Concert.  In addition to listing the dates and times it included the dress code; the gentleman’s being the traditional black pants and white shirt.  Mark Jr. happily informed me that his white dress shirt from last year still fits, so I checked it and it was spotless.  Since Mark Jr. prefers colored dress shirts for church, he very seldom wears his plain white dress shirt.  It’s probably only been worn maybe just a time or two outside of the twice yearly Band Concert, so it was in excellent condition, it was white, it was spotless and it fit!

So imagine my embarrassment last night when the Band walked in and my son was wearing a gray shirt!  I was mortified!  But I couldn’t figure out why in the world the boy was wearing his light gray shirt.  Wasn’t it in the mending pile needing a new button?  And why hadn’t I noticed it on the way to the school?

Now I know for a fact that boy was wearing a white shirt because I remember looking at it and being thankful that it fit and I hadn’t needed to buy him a new shirt just for the concert.

 So I kept looking at him and looking at him and then it slowly began dawning on me.  I looked around the school gym and all the other students seemed to be wearing BRIGHT white shirts.  And that’s when it hit me – his shirt wasn’t gray it simply looked dingy in comparison.   

 And there in the midst of the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade Band concert the LORD revealed something to me. 

 Now I’m not much good at explaining these type things but hopefully you’ll understand what the LORD revealed to me.

 AM I SPIRITUALLY DINGY?

 The Bible clearly tells us in Ephesians 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Read those last two words again. 

 A blemish is defined as “something that diminishes the perfection of”

 When I looked at Mark Jr.’s shirt it was without spot, it was without wrinkle but yet it was dingy . . . it was blemished.  It was washed, it was clean and to the naked eye it was just as it should be. 

 

But it wasn’t.

 

There was something within that shirt that was keeping it from being white as snow; something hindering it, something that caused it to be blemished.  While I thought it was as it should be . . . it wasn’t.  Not for lack of attention to detail, but it wasn’t.  Not for lack of desire, but it wasn’t. 

 Is my own life like that?  The spots are glaringly obvious, the wrinkles jump out at me, but what about the blemishes?  What about the things in my heart that diminish the perfection? 

 Psalm 139:23-24 (King James Version)

 ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

 ²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.