My husband is the type of man who will not do anything half-way. If he is going to commit to it, it will be done, and it will be done well. Last week, he was working on making a table/counter-top desk for church. He had two pieces of plywood. After making some strategic cuts, using a router, and gluing pieces together, it looked like an actual countertop you’d buy from a store… from plywood.
Anyways. He was staining them. His shop didn’t really have room for both tops to lay out. So, we placed the top over our washer and dryer as he stained it. A little bit of stain got on the washing machine.
My son asked, “Hey dad, will stain come out?”
To which my husband replied, “Well, what is stain?”
He thought for a minute, and then thought of a grass stain on his shirt. “It’s a mark that won’t come out.”
“Yep. It will not come out.”
You could see the wheels turning in his head.
As we were walking upstairs, I overheard a conversation referring to “What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver.”
“So, stain won’t come out. Like the stain of sin.”
“Yeah, it’s always there.”
“That’s why we need Jesus’ blood to cover the stain.”
My momma’s heart smiled. They made a connection to a previously learned lesson by watching dad stain some wood.
Let’s talk about that stain.
We are stained with sin.
Let that sink in for a minute. Stain. It will not come out. When my kids get a grass stain on their clothing… sometimes I get it out… most of the time those clothes just became play clothes only.
The stain of sin.
Nothing you can do will get rid of that stain. Good works- nope. Being a good person- still there.
“Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD.” (Jeremiah 2:22)
Man can convince himself, and quite easily at that, that the stain isn’t there anymore. We can look the other way. Say a million prayers. Do a lot of good work. But we still need Jesus!
We say that Jesus washes away our sins. That’s a great thought, because we are forgiven… But really- Jesus’ blood covers our sin. We are still stained with sin.
You accepted Jesus and His blood is the only reason you are redeemed. Paid for. In full. By His blood.
That What’s in the Bible episode stated that God wants to free us from the power of sin, the presence of sin, and the stain of sin. Sin is a BIG deal.
Honestly, I had all my kids watch all the episodes of the What’s in the Bible. I thought my oldest was the only one to really get it. I thought for sure I was going to need to play those videos again so the younger ones could grasp the concepts. (And I probably will.) But let me tell you, my oldest was not involved in the above conversation.
My little ones had a seed planted and then a real-life example solidified that understanding. (Well, maybe not solidified, but brought more understanding…)
Parents, those things you are doing to plant the seed of faith- they are effective. Keep doing it. Keep planting those seeds. Don’t think they are too young. They are never too young to learn about the love of our Heavenly Father!
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7