Stubborn Stains

I had warned her. I strictly asked my seven year old to be careful when she went outside because she was wearing a beautiful pair of pink shorts for the very first time, and I didn't want them to get stained. I should have asked her to change her clothes. Now there are two spots on the back that won't come out. I tried using a stain stick and re-washing, but to no avail. The stain has set. Her shorts will move from the nice clothes pile to the play clothes pile. Too bad she only wore them once.

My mother taught me a few tricks about stubborn stains. Put a bit of flour on grease stains and then use a stain stick. Use hair spray for ink. Use cold water for blood. My problem with these shorts was that I didn't see the stain before I threw them into the washer. It wasn't until I was transferring the clothes to the dryer that I noticed the trouble. That's when I applied the stain stick and re-washed. I should have been more observant earlier.

We carry the stain of our sins with us. Mistakes we made will leave some type of mark on our attitudes or in our relationships. Time will fade and discolor the original markings, but some hint will always be there. Only God has the power to clean away the residue of our past. His special cleaning agent is made from a very unusual ingredient: the blood of Jesus Christ. It is only through Christ's sacrifice on the cross can our stain be scrubbed away and we can be made white as snow. Through His healing power, the scars our sins left behind (fear, hate, doubt, anger, etc.) will start to fade. It we trust Him to work in our lives, the scars will eventually disappear.

Have you tried to scrub out the stubborn stains in your life only to fail in the process? Let God wipe away your stains so you can be sparkling bright.