Scrubbed

I scrubbed on Thursday. No, I didn't clean the kitchen floor or the tub, although they probably could use a little elbow grease here and there. I scrubbed petitions.

What is scrubbing petitions? It's checking to make sure that everything on the petition is filled out correctly. If someone didn't sign his name or didn't write out her address or zip code, then that entry is invalidated or scrubbed.

I didn't even know that if you fill out the address for your husband, even though he signs the petition, that entry has to be invalidated. Everyone who signs must fill out his or her own information. I scrubbed over 20 such entries. I know some of the other volunteers were crossing out many more names, too.

There is no school for petition signing. We don't have a DVD available (as least that I know of) on how to correctly fill those papers out. There are instructions on the sheet, but obviously people aren't reading them. It's too bad, too, because if there is even the slightest thing that looks suspicious or out of order, then that entry is crossed off the accepted list. No wonder petitioners always try to get an abundant amount over the needed signatures. They try to leave room for the inevitable errors.

God's rules are even stricter. If we fail in one point of His law, we have violated the whole law. Our sins, even if they're little in the eyes of the world, scrub us out of Heaven. Our God is a Holy God. He cannot look at sin.

So is there no help at all? For the petitions, no. That entry is totally lost. But for a person, there is Jesus. He, being Holy, paid the price for all our sins on the cross almost 2000 years ago. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, our names are written in the Book of Life. We become Holy in God's eyes because our Advocate, Jesus, makes us Holy.

Of course, that doesn't mean we go on sinning. With God's help we are to turn away from our sins. We are to become more like Christ each and every day.

Are you on the scrubbed list? Let Jesus put you on His permanent life list.