Regresar

Wrinkles Away

Play/Pause

Stop

And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. —Ephesians 5:27, NIV

Ironing on a hot summer’s day? Yes! There I was, with a load of clean shirts before me, waiting to be ironed. My husband and sons would need their shirts to be ready to wear to church early the next morning. So I tackled the task. One by one, I ironed the shirts, using steam as necessary to smooth away even the tiniest wrinkle. Once they had been ironed, I hung them neatly on a rack. While I ironed, working with the heat and steam, I knew my family was worth it! As I reached for each shirt, arranging it carefully on the ironing board, I thought about our spiritual garments. They were washed in the blood of the Lamb when we invited Jesus into our hearts and accepted His sacrifice in atonement for our transgressions.

But that is only the beginning. To be ready for His second coming, our garments must be ironed—our characters transformed. With the iron of the Holy Spirit, through the heat and steam of trials, God smooths away every wrinkle in our character.

He is diligently, tenderly preparing us for His kingdom.

Every time heat is applied, a wrinkle is smoothed away.

Each trial and heartache we endure reveals how important we are to our heavenly Father. He calls us to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, NIV). Jesus holds the iron in His hand. He feels the heat, too, so you and I can be ready, pure and faultless, without a wrinkle or any other imperfection! Paul invites us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV).

When we feel the heat of trials and tribulation, instead of complaining, why not praise God? Do we trust Him? If we do, we will cry out, “Yes, Lord! Thank You! Please smooth away all my wrinkles.” One day soon we will thank Him face-to-face for the time He invested in preparing our heavenly garments. Lord, thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who prepares my character for Your kingdom. Help me to endure the heat while You gently smooth all my wrinkles away! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Rhodi Alers de López