The Blessing Of The Eraser

Psalm 51:1-2 – Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (NIV)

When my daughter was in Grade Two, she taught us both a very valuable lesson. That was the year that she discovered what an eraser was meant for. My daughter is a perfectionist (I don't know where she gets that from!), and up to this point in her life, she seemed to be afraid to do a lot of things because of the fear that "it" just might not be right. In school, she was afraid to put anything down on paper, because she didn't want to get it wrong. She was afraid to read out loud, because it might be wrong. The fear of failure had crippled her. It was her Grade Two teacher who taught her that it was okay to make a mistake, because she could use the eraser and then she could make it right. It sounds like such a simple thing, but for a young girl who always wanted to have things perfect, this teacher gave her the gift to be able to make a mistake and then to make it right.

For those of us who like to have things perfect, we can understand immediately what a gift this teacher and the eraser were. Life is not perfect, and if we wait to do something until everything is perfect, then we just won't accomplish anything. Just as the teacher gave my daughter a wonderful gift on the day when she introduced her to the eraser, God has given us that same gift. God has given us the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who has come to blot out all of our transgressions, to wash away all our iniquity and to cleanse us from our sin. What an amazing gift!

Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (NIV)

Today is the day that the Lord has made for you — full of promise and opportunity. It is God's gift to you — what you do with this day is your gift to God. Don't be afraid to use it! Thank God for his many gifts to us and for giving us this new beginning.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the teachers in our lives. Help us to be more aware of life's lessons. Thank you that we don't have to be perfect — that all you ask of us is to do our best and to try. Thank you for the grace that you give us to try again when we don't get things right. Thank you that you have given us the opportunity to start again. Help us to trust you more, so that we can live more fully every day. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

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