CRESTING THE HILL ON QUAIL HOLLOW road I was amazed to see the green expanse of grassy parkland in the distance. Bright, beautiful, rising terraces of spring-time green, this park-like setting beckoned me on. But wait! That’s no park, that’s the dump! (Now euphemistically referred to as “The Ben Lomond Transfer Station.”)
Underneath those verdant hills lay years of garbage. Some of it mine. The sculptured seeded somewhat appealing scene may have looked inviting on the surface, but the death and decay which lie beneath could no doubt make your toes curl. You can dress it up, rename it, but it’s still the dump.
As I pondered this uneasy reality I wondered if the landscape before me was a picture of my own life. On the surface things look almost park-like, while underneath garbage abounded. Not a pretty thought, and not unlike the Lord Jesus’ comments to the Pharisees about being white-washed tombs full of dead man’s bones. (Matthew 23:27) Yet, there is a grand and wonderful difference between the Ben Lomond Transfer Station and myself; it is the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the Cross. The Word of God reminds us that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, not just the surface stuff, but down to the dredges! (1 John 1:7-9) What a glorious truth!
It is this deep, from the inside out, cleaning, that allows us to flourish. The garbage of sin is replaced by the growth-causing presence of the Holy Spirit. The work of Christ was not just to make us look better, or to dress us up, but to completely, radically change us from deep within. We are a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Now, there’s a reason to celebrate!