SPACKLE DUST

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

I recently patched a wall in our living room. We received a power recliner as a gift, and the kids love to raise and lower it over, and over, and over again. It is also incredibly powerful—so powerful, in fact, that it reclined right into the drywall, making a hole in it. Once I discovered the newly formed cavern, I cut out the ruined drywall, replaced it with a patch, and applied spackle.

This requires a multi-day process of applying compound, sanding, reapplying, and sanding again until it is perfectly smooth. Once I started, I noticed dozens of other nicks and scratches on the wall that needed attention. By the time I finished with my putty knife, practically the entire wall was covered. When I finished sanding, white spackle dust coated the chair, the couch, the coffee table, and the carpet. It was an absolute mess.

Sometimes, that is exactly how my walk with Christ feels. Jesus continuously fixes and smooths out my character, which can be a messy process. I sin over, and over, and over again, and He faithfully forgives. The refining work of sanctification feels like endless spackling and sanding, leaving me covered in dust.

But I also know that when the project—me—is finally complete, Jesus will have done a perfect job. Even after I finished my wall, I could still see the imperfections that my lack of skill could not cover. My living room wall is flawed because I am an imperfect builder. Thankfully, my Savior is the perfect craftsman, and He always finishes the good work He starts. Don’t get discouraged by the spackle dust, He’s not done with you.

Ethan Kallberg