Truth on the Pool Deck

You can learn things in odd places. Yesterday I got a glimpse of a truth on my pool deck.

We have a pool (living in the desert, it's almost a must) and we have birds around. So, of course, this necessitates a regular cleaning of the decking. Of course, my lazy self realized "This deck isn't really all that dirty. I mean, sure, there are spots here and there, but there is far more area that's clean that what's dirty."

My wife? She would have none of it. If there are droppings, they must be cleaned. They must be cleaned until there isn't one single bit left. Perfection -- that's what's required.

And it dawned on me that these are the two views that are held in regards to our lives. Us? We're the lazy ones. We look at things comparatively. We see our lives and say, "There's more clean than dirty" and we're mostly satisfied. But God looks and won't settle for anything less than perfection. Every last dropping has to go.

I suspect the difference is that we don't understand the holy. The holy doesn't compromise on sin. And God is not merely holy -- He's holy, holy, holy. With us there is "good enough", to our own shame. But God's standard is perfection.

Fortunately we can rely on the perfection of His Son.