Our puppy, Max, had made a big mistake. On Christmas morning, the kids excitedly stuck their hands down inside their stockings, and pulled out their tiny treasures. One of these treasures was flavored lip balm. Our youngest opened her lip balm, applied it to her chapped lips, and then placed it back in the toe of her stocking. And then Max entered the picture. At some point, he sniffed. And he liked what he smelled. And so he chewed. And he chewed. And he chewed. Until there was a gaping hole in the toe of the stocking.
But these weren't just stockings that I could run out and buy duplicates of. These were stockings that I had quilted and sewn together. My dear friend and I had worked together for hours making stockings for our families. It was a labor of love.
Some mistakes are bigger than others. Sometimes, we make a mistake and it's really easy to fix it. A little bandage. A quick apology. A quick trip to the store. And other times, we make a mistake, and it leaves a gaping hole. A hole that is beyond repair. The injured thing must be completely rebuilt.
We've all done it. We make a choice to do something, and we don't think about the consequences until it's too late. Sometimes it's words that spew out of our mouths like venom. Sometimes it's actions that tear relationships apart. Sometimes it's something that seems so innocent, but yet it ruins our reputation forever. And left behind, our mistakes are like gaping holes. And they can't be repaired. We have to rebuild. The original will never be the same, because the original has been marred.
In John 8:1-11, we are told of the story of a woman who was a sinner. She had been caught in the act of adultery, and people in the town were about to stone her. To death. I would say she made a pretty big mistake. As I tell my children, "she didn't make a good choice." But then Jesus stepped in. And so many times we focus on the verse, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." And that is a marvelous verse. I am so thankful that He said it.
But, we can't stop there. We've got to look at the last verse of the passage. Jesus told her, "Go. From now on sin no more." You see, the woman's "mistake" had left a gaping hole. Her reputation, her life, her everything was ruined. She had been caught in one of the most hideous of sins. At one point, she was an innocent little girl. And then, she wasn't.
She would have to rebuild. She would have to start fresh and new. She would have to cut the fabric of her life, measure it, and stitch it together one small piece at a time.
The ball was in her court. She messed up. He forgave. And He commissioned her to go forward, and sin no more. No turning back and gazing at the hole that her life once was. No longing for the old junk that had messed her up.
And that, my friends, is called grace.
I so desperately want my children to understand that it is way easier to keep something beautiful from the beginning than to have to rebuild it. Yes, we all mess up. We make bad choices with our words, with our actions, with our attitudes, and with our reactions. So often those choices can leave something permanently damaged. But then there is grace. And there is the opportunity to rebuild. And the chance to go forward and not make the same bad choices again.
So, back to the stocking. I held it. I searched for a way to repair it. There was none. And so what did I do? I tossed it the trash. And I marched downstairs to my fabric bin, and discovered a marvelous thing. I had enough of the original fabric to replace it! Yes, I would have to take the time to do it. And yes, I would grumble about the dog with every stitch that I made. But, I could rebuild.
If you're in a place where you're unsure if you can rebuild, trust me. You can. God's word is full of examples of rebuilding. That's what the gospel is all about! God takes our dirty, filthy, torn rags and trades them in. He rebuilds our wardrobe into a beautiful robe that is fit only for kings and queens. I would love to share with you how you can start this year fresh and new.
And if you're in a better place than that, take heed. One little word. One little action. One little sniff. They can all leave a hole that can't be repaired. It is much easier to keep something beautiful from the beginning.
The tears are gone. The stocking will be remade in February. And next Christmas, we will have our matching stockings again, almost as if nothing happened. But, I'll know. That gaping hole could not be repaired. It had to be remade.
"And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new." (Rev. 21:5)
