Wrinkles

"Try XYX Wrinkle Release Spray--it works!" The announcer goes on to tout the benefits of using the spray on all of our wrinkles. Then I realize he isn't talking about clothing, but SKIN!

In my dreams. There are concoctions and creams and scrubs and masks and even botox. When human beings willingly have botulism injected into their skin to erase wrinkles, we know wrinkle removal is a BIG DEAL. Youthful looks seem to make a difference in how a person gets ahead in life. It is so important that companies have invested in all manner of youth serums-it is BIG BUSINESS.

You say you are comfortable in your skin. A good test of this is when you get an invitation to your 25th high school reunion. Mine is this year, and it certainly has been a reality check for me!

I have to confess what sparked my mind to think about wrinkle removal. It all started with an e-mail for a recipe for homemade wrinkle release spray for clothing. It's basically fabric softener and water in a spray bottle. We also make homemade remedies to treat our skin from items we find in our kitchen: mayonnaise, egg whites, oatmeal, and more.

Ephesians 5:27 says, "That he [Christ] might present it [the church] to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

I'm guessing being wrinkle-free is important to Jesus too. Not our facial wrinkles or our wrinkled clothing, but our hearts. He desires His church to be chaste and without moral flaw. Just as Old Testament priests sacrificed only animals without spot or wrinkle, our Savior presented Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf, without flaw. He is now at work in us, making us more like Him. My job in the process is to be yielded to His wrinkle releasing powers.

I may not be successful in avoiding facial wrinkles in my lifetime, but I do pray I eradicate heart wrinkles with the spray of Jesus' love.