Jesus' death on the cross means my slate is wiped clean of every gash and dent caused by sin, leaving me spotless in God's eyes.

When I was a little girl, my favorite part of going ice skating was gazing at the Zamboni as it zoomed across the ice, making the ice ready once again for my fellow ice skaters. These days, the Zamboni is still my favorite part, and I'm not lying when I say that I'm an aspiring Zamboni driver. Lucky for me, all I need to reach my dream is to get my driver's license and have a few mechanical skills, like cleaning and tightening all the electrical connections.

In any sport involving ice skates and an ice rink as its main components, a Zamboni is needed to clear off the ice. After a hockey team races around or a figure skater swivels on the ice, the smooth surface of the ice, glistening and perfect, is replaced with dents and snowy remains.

Daily, after the ice is used, the Zamboni slugs across the ice, filling in the scratches, holes, and divots with water and scraping the top layer of ice off, leaving a smooth, level surface.

In the same way, Jesus is our Zamboni driver. Just as the ice starts off perfect after the Zamboni slowly skims across, we were created in God's perfect and holy image, starting with Adam and Eve. But every day we sin—whether it's a new sin or a pet sin we so often commit. Countless times we're guilty of breaking God's law and putting another dent in our perfect image. Only our Zamboni driver can fix the scars of our sins by his perfect forgiveness.

When I finally sat down and thought about it, I realized how much I need Jesus. Every night I still stick to my habit of praying just as my grandma taught me when I slept over at her house: "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. This I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen."

Older now, I follow that simple prayer with my repentance for daily sins—the long list of known ones and the acknowledgement of those I cannot remember but still know are there. I pray for my family and friends and the occasional person walking down the hallway at school who looks sad with his or her head hanging down.

I know that I'm forgiven for my sins by Jesus every night after my prayer. Jesus forgives me for every wrong and hateful thing I've said and for every evil and judgmental thought that's ever entered my head.

Jesus doesn't drive a Zamboni, but he does drive away all of the fear I have because of my sins. His death on the cross means my slate is wiped clean of every gash and dent caused by sin, leaving me spotless in God's eyes. Thanks to Jesus, I don't have to fear the wrath of God. I know that with Jesus by my side, I cannot and will not lose the fight against the devil and will receive the wonderful and eternal gift of heaven when my time comes.

Molly Mentzer, a senior at Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a member at Mt. Calvary, Waukesha, Wisconsin.