I am not sure how many times I have found myself standing over a sink with stain remover in one hand and a piece of clothing in the other. With three kids, there have been many stained articles over the years. The most recent stain involved my daughters’ favorite jeans and a brand-new shirt. She had been involved in a school project and got purple paint on her clothes. Needless to say, she was not in the best of moods when she came home from school. I told her we would work on it and see what we could do. Step one, soak the pants and shirt and see if the paint will soften. Step two, start scrubbing.
While working on these spots, I thought about the steps I have taken over the years to remove stains in my life. Had I just soaked my behaviors, let them soften up, hoping they would magically change, or had I actively scrubbed them? Did I try to take care of them on my own, or did I go to God and seek His help in overcoming my sin? Had I taken the time to deal with whatever needed to be changed? Did I remove myself from situations that I knew were not good for me? Had I limited time spent with people who may have been more toxic than a good influence, changed the channel on a show or movie, or put down a book that tore down rather than lifted? Did I submit to the Holy Spirit when He showed me areas that needed growth or cutting down? Did I minimize the destructiveness of long-held behaviors or beliefs because they were comfortable and I enjoyed them?
My daughter had great faith in my ability to get the paint out of her clothes. I told her I was not confident that it would come out of her jeans, and it was well set by the time she got home. She encouraged me to try, and if all of it didn’t come out, if most of it did, that was o.k. How different when dealing with my spiritual issues. Total removal is necessary; I must have complete surrender to God’s scrubbing. If I try to do it on my own, I will not get all the stain out, and inevitably it will return. I thought about letting Jesus scrub my sins away. He can get out every speck, leaving no remnant.
I realized that it never seems to happen to clothes that are less important to us. If these were old clothes, I would have said; you got your use out of them. Just use them when you want to get dirty. Is this how I look at my behaviors? Maybe some behaviors are not worth keeping and could just be abandoned. This action would permanently remove the stain. Other behaviors are more important and worth saving. Perhaps something is at its heart good; it just needs some tweaking to be worthwhile. I realize that I need to go to God frequently for a spot check-up any way I look at this.
Sometimes I may only require a laundry pre-treat, and the stain disappears. Maybe I can see the disruption early, go to God in prayer, and efficiently take care of the spot. But what about the areas that seem firmly set? Sometimes it seems, God needs to thoroughly scrub my heart for me to let go of whatever is staining me. This scrubbing may hurt at the time, but I can trust Him that removing this blotch is for the best because God knows what is best for me. Sometimes, we see something wrong and ask God for help. I think about Jesus healing the man with leprosy, Matthew 8:1-3. This man experienced physical healing of spots, and in turn, Jesus healed his heart. Other times, we may not think something is a problem, and we are unaware that we need a spot removed. Look at the woman at the well, (John 4). She was living her life and had no idea how her life would change by encountering Jesus. She needed internal spots healed and healing of her heart. Jesus heals both physical and spiritual areas.
As I was scrubbing, I thought about Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. The spot she is referring to, in the famous line, is blood from the murder she had helped commit. I know the two are not the same. She is dealing with guilt from murdering King Duncan, and I am trying to scrub out a literal stain. However, I was thinking, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!… It took time and elbow grease, but I did manage to get the paint out of the shirt and most out of the pants. I am so grateful that when I give my heart to my loving God, He removes all my stains, spots, and guilt. An area to be dealt with may be a behavior, attitude, habit, or addiction, anything that keeps me from putting God first. Anything that keeps me from total surrender needs to come under God’s authority. Jesus promises to remove my sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). By accepting Jesus as my Savior, even though my sins are as scarlet, I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and I become white as snow.
Clothing is not the only thing in our house that gets stained. Carpet, upholstery, and bedding, to name a few others. There are different types of stain removers depending on what is soiled and what the mark is. Over the years, I have seen stains resurface. Sometimes, I think I have gotten all the stain cleaned only to realize it came back. The affected article will never be perfect again. Stain removal may leave the fabric weakened or with some other mark. When I was 20, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. There was a spot on my arm, and it needed to be removed. Praise God, the cancer was just in the mole and was easily removed. The thing is, that spot removal has left a mark on my arm. Every time I look at that scar, I am reminded that God took care of me during a very dark time in my life. First, He led me to get the mole looked at, and then He provided a great surgeon. I wouldn’t say that He necessarily scrubbed me during this time, but I am stronger in my faith as I reflect on how good God was to me. I look at this time as His gentle touch turning my mind and heart back to Him. I look forward to the day when I have a new body and it is not scared by trials and tribulations of this world.
Like the man with leprosy and the woman at the well, I need Jesus to come in and remove my spots. I must do my part by giving up control and allowing Jesus to come in and clean me up. I have first to acknowledge that things need to be removed and bow my heart to God. But praise God. He faithfully removes my sins, and with Him, they can disappear forever.
As is so typical, another day and another spot to be removed: mud out of my white dining chair. This is just like my life, as God deals with one area in my life another one seems to surface that needs His loving attention. This will continue as long as I am alive and living in this sin-filled world. I will always struggle against my flesh, but I have the assurance that God is here with me and helping me. I will never reach perfection, but I am being sanctified and made righteous through Jesus dying on the cross to save me from my sins.
The next time I am armed with stain remover and a scrub brush, I hope to stop and ask God what needs cleansing in me. As God shows me areas, I pray that I humbly submit to the Holy Spirit as He removes my spots. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
Peace in the Desert 