Covering

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Yesterday, as I was leaving for church, I noticed that there were quite a few leaves in my yard. I have a stubborn beech tree that won't listen to me and drop its leaves before the town picks them up on our street.

It taunts me for weeks afterwards, dropping a leaf at a time, messing up my nicely raked lawn. Then it waits until I finish again and drops another.

What’s worse, this tree drops a lot of its leaves on my neighbor's lawn. I keep apologizing for my stubborn sins, I mean leaves. I feel bad that he has to do more work because of it.

Then the snow comes.

I look out at my lawn now and I don't see one leaf. God has done His majestic work and shown off His glory with the snow. More than that, my sins are covered by His grace. What is between my neighbor and me now are not reminders of my disobedient tree, but a fresh covering of His mercy and grace.

Yes, God does ask me to pick up my stubborn leaves. Yet, on mornings like this, He answers with what is undeserved, yet greatly appreciated by everyone. No one sees the leaves—they see only His glory.