Stubborn Stains

I work at a church and a few weeks ago we were the victims of a tagger. In three places these lovely initials were sprayed on two of our parking lot lights and this retaining wall where all the water drains from our lot. The two on the cement bases for the lights came off fairly easily with a special cleaner and a lot of scrubbing. Did I mention it was over 100* the day I had to clean these.

When I got to this final graffiti I sprayed and sprayed, and scrubbed and scrubbed with a steel brush. I have tried on two more occasions to get this stain off the stone bricks and if you come by the church it will still look like this. I am currently trying to team up with someone to get a sand blaster and hopefully get this removed.

While I was drenched in sweat and striving to erase this mark I was reminded of a deep truth. This stain is as stubborn as my sin. My life, my heart, my soul are covered in the marring of disobedience and foolishness.

Despite my greatest efforts, the sweat on my brow, the callouses on my hands I can't remove a single one. I cannot cover them or get them to fade. It's hopeless. Vanity and striving after wind.

How glorious and good it is to read the words of the the prophet Isaiah.

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool." 1:18

The writer of Hebrews tells me even more of what this means for me.

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." 9:14

Jesus washes clean my sins, my dead works, with His own perfect blood. It's as though the sin was never there. I am so thankful for this gift and thankful for reminders that I can rest in the completed work of Christ and finally serve the living God.

I just hope the graffiti will get on board with my theology.