remembering grace.

i went to the temple tonight.
in the temple, we wear all white, it's beautiful and pure and clean.

while i was putting on my white temple dress, i got lipstick right on the front.
i was hoping it was on the inside so you wouldn't be able to see it.
nope.
red. right in the middle of my chest.
i was embarrased, but tried not to think about it.
but, nonetheless, the stain stayed in my mind.  in plain view.
i thought about my life.
i'm sometimes stained with sin,
but, most often, i'm just dumb.
i do things before i think about them.
i say things that are unintentionally insensitive.
i'm impatient or lazy or silly...
like a big lipstick stain on the front of my white dress.
i'm often embarrassed by my shortcomings.

i thought about the atonement of Christ.
Wikipedia says, "The Hebrew word translated as atonement literally means "to cover" or "covering"."
(i was surprised that Wikipedia has a really good description on the LDS view of the atonement, you can read it here...)

i thought about how Christ's atonement covers my sins AND my lipstick stains.
i felt loved and saved and clean and grateful for a COVER... an eternal covering.
One who is enough who can cover all the areas that i'm not enough.
today, i'm so grateful for His covering.

only the first time we go to the temple, we go for ourselves.  after that we renew our covenants by taking through names of our ancestors.  i don't think it was a coincidence that tonight, i was going through the temple for my sweet Aunt Grace.  (We named our Lily Grace after her.)
today, i'm so grateful for Grace.
and tomorrow, i'm going to wash my white dress.

anyone (besides God) know how to get out a lipstick stain?