I have a dear friend from high school that I stay connected with. We chat every once in a while over the phone to laugh, compare dieting tips and tricks and we always, ALWAYS get around to talking about our relationship with the Lord and lessons we’re in the process of learning. We share how God has used what seemed like little things at the time to make big impacts in our lives later on.
The other day we were talking and, out of the blue, she said, “I’m thankful for chalkboards!” I chuckled a bit and she continued.
If you think about it, there are so many things to be thankful for in life. God has blessed us with life and beauty all around us. He has provided a family and friends to love and cherish. He continues to give me good health. And He helps me see things in such a way that I can’t help but praise Him!
These are all wonderful things and I’m forever grateful for them. But if I had to think about something that really demonstrated the amazing grace of all that God has done for me, I choose the chalkboard!
A chalkboard can hold the lesson of the day. It can be a place for artwork, showcasing the beauty of color and shape. It can keep track of the days and months and be a reminder of things that have been and things to come. But the best thing about a chalkboard is that it can be erased!
A mistake can be wiped away with the simple swipe of the eraser, never to be seen again. Things from the past can be erased while things for the future can be added. And if I really, REALLY mess up, it can be scrubbed of every single evidence of anything ever being written on it at all!
I absolutely love that! What a great and visual reminder that God has the ability to wipe clean all of the mistakes we’ve made over the years! He can fix all the little mess ups we make as we go along. But most importantly, when we give Him our lives and control over everything in it, He takes the time to scrub every inch of our chalkboard. He removes every last trace of the old chalk, even the bits that we thought we had erased on our own!
So I have a new thing to be thankful for the next time someone asks me. I’m thankful for chalkboards!
How about you? What does your chalkboard look like? Has it gotten a little covered in chalk dust over the years as you’ve tried to get rid of all the mistakes on your own? Do you need a good scrubbing? I know Someone standing by that wants to help!
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! He mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
– Lamentations 3:22-23
