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“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

If you’ve been reading these devos through the years and have caught my written reflections of God’s grace, today’s inspiration (my dog Caroline) may seem familiar. The Lord has used this incredibly sweet who-knows-how-old former-street-thug rescue to show me different facets of His character—and what my own God-glorifying attitude should be (check them out here, here, and here).

To me and my husband, Caroline is adorable in everything she does. We ooh and aww and marvel over every little thing, whether she’s snuggling with us, lying in the grass basking in the sun, or excitedly jumping around when asked about wanting to “go for a walk.”

She’s so lovely! And sweet. And perfectly perfect! Even though she’s not.

See, Caroline isn’t objectively adorable. She had a hard life before we adopted her six years ago, living on the streets for at least a couple years and “behind bars” for at least a year after that. Her back left leg hangs about three inches off the ground, having been broken at some point. She sports many scars on her face—likely from raccoon or cat fights (or whatever hit her and broke her leg). Her teeth are all brown little nubs. She also had a couple of puppies while on the street and not getting the “post-natal care” she would have in a loving home took a bit of a physical toll. Enough said there. Yep, most people might say, “Oh, she’s…um, cute,” but when we look at Caroline, we see absolute beauty.

Caroline is also far from perfect. As mentioned, she’s a bit gangster. (Just ask our once-Alpha dog Bella.) She basically does what she wants, and her daily habit of creating a “nest” on our bed would make most people cringe. She’s jumped through a screened window in our kitchen to get outside in hopes of getting to the neighbor’s dog. She tries to attack every truck trailer that drives by while we’re on a walk—especially ones with boats. And she loves to snack on cat poop, whenever possible, so we have to watch her diligently. Even when she’s being incredibly naughty, we can’t help but see her through the eyes of the absolute love we have for her.

Oh beloved, I hope the gospel bells and whistles are going off in your mind, heart, and spirit! When we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are in Christ—we become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Roman3:21-26). In other words, when God the Father looks at you and me, He sees total perfection and beauty. Even though we’re not (Romans 3:1-20). This is the amazing grace of God. We were depraved sinners, disobedient, dead, and destined for wrath. But God, rich in mercy and great love for us, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). And in our salvation, we are washed as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 1:9) and made new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)—we share in His victory over sin and death. Yes, even as we slog through this broken world in our ugly, sin-ridden, flesh-fighting sanctification journey toward Home, we are wrapped in the righteousness of Christ…slogging in victory, not for it.

One day you and I will be perfect—no ugliness, no scars, no selfish behavior, no sin. Praise God! But, precious friend, please know that when you are in Christ, our heavenly Father already sees you as beautiful and perfect. And although we’re not yet what He sees, we will be (1 John 3:1-3). May the knowledge (and gratitude) of this astounding grace inspire us to pursue what we already have (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

“Oh heavenly Father, thank You for the undeserved righteousness I have in Christ Jesus—that You look at me not how I am (a sinner deserving Your wrath), but who You’ve made me to be: a victor over sin and death…the very righteousness of Christ.”

 For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith (encouragedbygrace.org)
TRBC Women’s Life