Not all stains are permanent...

I once bought a white v-neck sweater. I LOVED this sweater. The first time I wore it, I snagged it on something and put a hole in the sweater. I was still able to wear the sweater, because as I walked, my arms would hide the hole. It was like my own annoying secret. People would see the sweater, comment on how they liked it... but I knew it was damaged.

A few months later, I spilled something on my sweater. I quickly ran to the bathroom, tried to scrub out the spot with a little cold water and soap... but there was still a faint stain there. From a distance, it was barely noticeable, but I still wore it.

About a year later, I was walking into the garage and a little bit of that heavy grease that lubricates the tracks that the door rides on got on my sweater. Regardless of what I tried, I could not removed the stain. From that point on, the sweater was useless.

A lot of times, when we sin, we treat ourselves as like this sweater. We try to hide our sin, we try to clean ourselves, and then when we think we've reached the point of no return, we think there's no help for us and we cease to seek God.

 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

Let us struggle to not try to hide or cover up our sins. God wants relationship with us. Jesus came here to die for our sins - past, present and future. Let's not let our own condemnation keep us from a clean relationship with God.

Selah