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All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
Isaiah 64:6 NIV

Scripture is clear, the very best achievements of man fall short of God’s perfect, holy righteousness. All we have to offer is not good enough to satisfy His righteous requirements. We have no hope of spending eternity with Him except by accepting the gift of Christ’s righteousness, which He has offered on our behalf. So why does God still want us to live righteous lives?

My daughters give me gifts all the time. As I type, they are cutting up paper and littering scraps all over the floor. Five seconds ago, my two-year-old handed me a treasure, made just for me. It’s a one inch square of paper, folded carefully in half with some intricate code written on the inside. I can tell it’s very special by the solemnity and care she used in handing it to me. I feel honored; it’s the best she has to offer.

My six-year-old is just beginning to read. She drew me a picture of a boy washing dishes and the words coming out of his mouth say, “I HAT Too Woch ThE DICh.” (I hate to wash the dishes.) I’m delighted. She did it all by herself; it’s the best she has to offer.

The gifts of my children help me understand Isaiah 64:6 when it says, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Most of the time it takes a lot of hard work to do what’s right. After struggling and sometimes sacrificing in order to live in a way that pleases God, to hear that my righteous acts are as filthy rags to God is almost insulting. Then I think of the gifts of my children. It’s not as though the things they give me are all that nice. They aren’t perfect; they aren’t even correct. It’s not because their gifts are any good that I love to receive them; it’s because I delight in my children.

Compared to God, my best, proudest achievements are as comic as my children’s attempts to do great things. Then why, if my righteous acts are so feeble and pathetic, does He want me to do them? When I think of my children’s gifts, I can imagine our Father in heaven, looking down on the daughter He delights in. There she stands offering her filthy rags, and He says, “After all, it’s the best she has to offer.”

Written by
Melody Anderson