Cleaning Up Accidents

Below is an article that I wrote several months ago. I was surprised, looking on my blog, that I hadn't posted it before. I haven't changed anything, so it isn't current--but EVERYTHING still applies. Hope you enjoy it!


Our family has a new addition. No, not a baby—though we are praying about that. This past December, we decided to add to our brood a little beagle puppy named Ginger. She is the sweetest thing ever. I love to hold her close to me, rub behind her ears, and have her little pink tongue give my hand kisses. I have missed the days of having a puppy around the house, so I am treasuring these moments. But I am discovering that I had forgotten some of the bad times, like having to keep one eye on her and one eye on what you are doing. However, that is nothing in comparison to potty and obedience training.

Ginger has a stubborn side in her like we all do. No matter how many times you gently smack her muzzle and harshly say, “NO,” you can guarantee she will go right back and do it. This routine goes on forty, fifty, sixty times. As to potty training, while we have a few times where she lets us know she has to go out, Ginger more often than not doesn’t make her needs aware. “Piddle” accidents are more than a daily occurrence in our house and you can bet every morning, there will be one in her crate.

One particular day, Ginger was really ornery, stubborn, and bad. She kept going back again—and again—and again to the couch and chewing on it. There were three piddle accidents in the span of fifteen minutes. We were nearly out of paper towels and cleaner. Mom and I cried in exasperation, “It’s a good thing you are cute. That’s the thing that is saving you.” Once I made that statement, my mind began to whirl and I remembered the good grace of my Savior and Master.

What if the Lord took the same attitude that I did? Every single day, and multiple times a day, I have “piddle” (or better called sin) accidents. I keep up the same wrong behavior, no matter times my Master has rebuked me with a tap on the conscience, pointing me to His Word. Just as Ginger’s perpetual disobedience annoys us, my perpetual acting up annoys my Father. And I don’t have “cuteness” that saves me.

I love the quote in the film Amazing Grace that goes “I am aware of two things—that I am a great sinner and Christ is a Great Savior.” Since the beginning of time, the God of Heaven and earth knew that I would barely pass obedience school. (I can do okay at some “commands” and stink at others.) Yet even from Calvary, Christ made it possible that only my successes are remembered hereafter. In His sight I have passed obedience class with flying colors.

The past few weeks, I have begun to imagine this scene: There is a huge black stain left on the carpet; it’s the sign that I have had an accident. My Master is standing right beside it with a towel in one hand and cleaning spray in the other. He stoops down on his knees and sprays the stain…only the spray resembles blood. The towel is no ordinary towel either; it is wool from a spotless Lamb. As He cleans up my mess, the Master says, “It is alright, my child. What you have done is no longer important. See, look at the towel and your stain; there is no trace of your sin. No go and sin no more.”

The concept of grace overwhelms me. It doesn’t make much sense at times. But if the God of the universe can easily wash away my sin, I think I could show Ginger some slack, don’t you? After all, my sins are a bit more of significance than her piddles.