Chaincups

The other day Marlee was in a mood. A Marlee bad mood looks something like this:

Full frown, usually some stomping and generally a demand such as a disgruntled Marlee recently shouted, "I want icecream," loudly and angrily. Umm, no, there will be no ice cream. Ice cream is for good children. 

Well, on this particular day Marlee was up to no good according to her brother and judging from the anguished wails of her sister, Marlee was directing her bad mood at Kaylen, an unfortunately easy target for teasing. 

Jacob the dutiful firstborn grabbed his handy pad and pencil and since he can't spell anything except his name (first AND last name, I'd like to point out) drew a picture of Marlee each and every time she was bad. 

Here she is in "chaincups" as Jacob calls handcuffs. I guess this is what he wanted to do to her for being so aggravating.

This is Marlee stealing the toy cookie sheet from Kaylen. I must remark on Jacob's ability to capture Marlee in exquisite detail. The curls and the belly are so her. 

I'm not sure what this one is depicting, but it must have been particularly hair raising from the looks of things. 

I have a total of eight pictures of Marlee in various stages of curl, all with a smile on her sweet face. At some point Jacob got tired of drawing and redrawing Marlee and came to me with a request, "Mom, can you please come and write down all the bad things Marlee is doing?" His voice was riddled with weariness. 

Darling son, can you imagine what it would look like if the Keeper of the Universe kept a record of our wrongs? Just for today, just for me He could fill pages I'm sure. 

It would be hard to look at those pages filled with ugly words such as "discontented again" or "complaining" or "refuses to forgive", "selfish", "unkind" and much much more. It would be a long, sad list of  my failings and my deplorable humanity. It would be a proof that I am not good, not a single particle of me is. That when given the chance, I usually choose to follow the flesh. 

No, little boy, I won't make a list of Marlee's "sins". Because we are going to give her grace. Because the Keeper of the Universe doesn't keep a college ruled notebook filled with our daily transgressions. He doesn't etch images of His children failing and falling. Rather, He covers their sins with His righteous blood and casts them away. 

I can see those ugly words falling into water, plunging deeply and sinking swiftly out of sight, never to rise again. Covered and cleansed. 

No chaincups necessary. 

Ps. 103:9-12

He will not always accuse,

    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.