…they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb – Revelation 7:14
The Solemnity of All Saints, 2020
Lord, this robe of mine is dirty, torn, and worn thin. The hem has been drug through the dust of this life. The bottom has become tattered and grey. Lord, I have fallen down in this robe so many times. I have tripped and stumbled into the dirt. I have torn it on the rocks. I do not mean to fall, but still, I do. It hurts and I am ashamed. Lord, people have pushed me down in this robe. It’s been beaten up by the words and actions of others. Lord, what a mess this robe has become.
Yet Lord, You look at me, dirty and hurt, tired and disheveled, and You love me. Like a mother who loves her little one who comes in dirty and hurt from falling on the ground, You hold me close. You know I need a hug, a bath, a Band-aid or two, and fresh clothes. You see me in my brokenness and You do not dismay or reproach.
You see me as my true self, in the purity in which you created me. In Your love, humility, and mercy, You wash my robe in Your own Precious Blood, poured out for me and for all on the Cross. You make everything right again: “Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they may become white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
You cleanse and restore me. You wipe away the dirty ashes on my forehead and replace them with an everlasting crown of beauty (cf Isaiah 61:3). You dress me in the newly whitened and repaired robe—the dress of a bride. You give me a “white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name” (Revelation 2:17). You call me “Beloved” (Romans 9:25). You prepare me for the wedding feast of the Lamb.
One day, Lord, may I behold you face to face (cf Psalm 24:6). May I see you as You are because You have made me like yourself (cf 1 John 3:2). May I, with all the white-robed saints, rejoice in your truth, goodness, and beauty forever. Amen.
Click here for a related post: Beauty for Ashes