Kids

A Beautiful Mess

By Alexis Rivera

Zoe was a brand-new member of the family. She had bright brown eyes, a tan face, black and white spots, and a tail that wagged constantly. I knew that I loved her from the very moment she came home. We were inseparable, and she was the best dog ever.

But Zoe had a little problem. She loved getting into mischief when I wasn’t around, especially when it came to food. One day, I decided I was going to bake a birthday cake for a friend. I pulled out all of my groceries: flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and salt. But one ingredient was missing. There was no milk! Because I was in such a hurry, I left the groceries on the kitchen table, and ran to the store to get the milk.

It was only a few minutes, but I returned to a huge mess. Zoe just couldn’t resist what her nose smelled. She had jumped on the table, found the bag of flour, torn it open, and dragged it all over the house. There was flour on the carpet. There was flour on the couch. There was flour in the bathroom and bedroom. There was even flour on the ceiling. It was everywhere. Zoe was nowhere in sight.

I found her hiding under my bed with the saddest, guiltiest look on her face. She knew she was in trouble. She was caked in so much

flour that I couldn’t even see her spots. But, instead of yelling, I laughed and said, “Come on Zoe, let’s get you cleaned up!” Then, I put her in the tub and washed her up. I took the vacuum and cleaned the carpet, dusted all the furniture, and wiped down the whole house. After a few hours of hard work, it was as if nothing had ever happened, and Zoe was zipping around the house as happy as ever.

When I think about this story, I often think about what Jesus did for me. I will sometimes encounter temptations that are hard to resist; and when I get into them, they make a huge mess of my life and in the lives of those around me. Much like Zoe couldn’t tidy up from her floury mess for herself, I can’t clean these sins up by myself. However, the Bible has promised me in 1 John 1:9 that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When I come to Jesus, I can picture Him taking me by the hand and saying, “Come on Alexis, let’s get you cleaned up.” He does the difficult job of washing away my messy sins through His grace. I’m thankful for Zoe and the lessons she taught me, and for a loving savior whom I can come to daily no matter how messy I get.