How Do I Get The Stains Out?!

Hello weekend readers. My musing is probably getting a laugh from you all. But honestly, this past week I have managed to make a mess of some of my clothes, a bedspread, and a shoe. Yep, that’s klutzy-me. To this day I have not been blessed by my mother’s ability to get out any stain on clothing—and a lot of other stuff. I call her the miracle stain-remover, and at almost 97 she still has the “special touch.”

My problem with stains is that I wait too long before using a stain remover (Fels Naptha; it takes out anything, even ink and blood). So, those stains have now embedded themselves in the fabric. Ugh. In anticipation I take out the clothes from the washer and mumble “yep, failed again.” I admit I try several more times and sometimes it gets better but certain fabrics just can’t take too much of “de-staining!” The outcome often is “this clothing is demoted to work projects, etc.” or it’s so bad it goes in the rag-bag.

Remember the lady with the issue of blood. She wanted to see Jesus and be healed but the crowd kept shouting “unclean-unclean!” Go back to the Old Testament with the constant rules of cleaning. They used Hyssop in the baths to clean their pores because it’s a powerful antioxidant, also antimicrobial and yes, a disinfectant. They may not have known what those words meant in their day, but that’s what it was—and still is today!

When David sinned with Bathsheba, he cried out to God, “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7 NKJV). In David’s day, ceremonial bathing and washing of clothing however, were never works of righteousness but rather the acknowledgment of their sins, their helplessness and their needs that only God could provide.

How do we handle the ‘stains’ of our sins? We can hide them in our hearts and minds, hoping others don’t realize our screw-ups, but this isn’t about others. This is about us and our faith and relationship with God who gave His Son, Jesus, to forgive our sins. The Apostle John wrote in his Epistle 1 John 1:9-20 (Message Bible): “If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—God won’t let us down; God will be true to himself. God will forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of God.  A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.”

Those are sharp words aren’t they? But the truth is, we really are practicing ignorance if we think we can get the stains out of our sins by ourselves! Only Jesus can forgive us and wash away our sins—HIS way! We don’t need to scrub or try to cover it up, we just come with a humble heart and ask “Jesus, cleanse me, I’ve screwed-up again.”

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, almost dead, he cried “I am thirsty!” To this day that scene makes me tremble and reminds me what Jesus is going through because of my sins. But remember this, it was the Hyssop branch leaves that held up the vinegar-soaked sponge so Jesus could wet His lips. Why? Because God knew what His Son would go through and God also knew the Hyssop would give him the thirst he would need to the end of this crucifixion. Jesus never sinned—never ever; we are the sinners and yet, we are loved and forgiven, we are his precious children now and forever and our stained sins are forgiven.

We may try our best to get rid of stains on our clothing, shoes, etc. We can scrub and scrub but most of the time it ends in being demoted to the rag-bag. Unfortunately our sins don’t work that way. We can’t scrub them away. Instead, Jesus takes them and they are gone forever. You are “white as snow” because of our Savior. So, if you’re having a tussle with your sins, stop, take a deep breath and say “Jesus, I confess my sins and I thank you for your love and forgiveness.” Then you can watch the suds go down the drain…all is clean! AMEN.