Both Black and Red

Some smudges of grease ended up on my silky-smooth, very-red Bible bookmark. I tried cornstarch; I tried a dab of dish soap. Sadly, neither fully removed the marks of black.

Thankfully, when we repent and place our faith in Christ, His blood completely covers our sin-stained selves. And from then on, God—in His role as Judge—sees only the redness of Jesus’ blood, instead of the blackness of our sin.

But God—in His role as Father—sees the blobs of black that still linger in our lives; He lovingly points them out. He teaches us, chastens us, helps us to be more like Christ.