I have a physical grace and dexterity quite unlike any people I know. I can trip over things that can only be seen through an electron microscope. The rotation of the earth causes me to lose my balance. Gravitational pull from the moon and other celestial bodies sometimes cause my arms and legs to move in surprising ways. My handwriting is decipherable only by well versed in hieroglyphics. I’m not saying I’m a klutz but, I’m one of those people who can throw themselves on the floor…and miss. There are times I think I should wear safety goggles when I scratch my nose….just in case. Because of this amazing nimbleness, it is easy to tell what I have eaten that day by simply looking at what’s on my shirt. My favorite foods can be discerned by the stains in the carpeting where I usually sit. I can get grass stains on my pants without ever going near grass. I am a walking mess.
Thankfully, there are soaps, cleansers and stain removers. In spite of my getting ketchup on nearly every piece of clothing I own, the stains have been removed. Thanks to hard and diligent work by my wife, I don’t have a collection of random discolorations on my favorite clothes. She and modern chemistry have helped me look good, even after I drop that chocolate fudge ice cream on my white cotton shirt. Ahh, the joys of modern living! I have to confess my legendary agility is not the only cause of staining. I tend to get my soul stained on a regular basis as well. You see, I get impatient, irritated, and irascible (I’ve always wanted to use that word). I fuss and fume over meaningless stuff. I think way more highly of myself than I ought. There are times I don’t love God with all that I am. I don’t keep God first in my life….sometimes I think He’s not even in the top ten. I am a poser…a fraud…an imposter. I am a sinner. But thankfully God has an answer to pitiful people like me. It’s called grace. We call it amazing grace sometimes. It works better at removing the stains and signs of failure than any other cleaner out there. In spite of who I am and how I am, God has chosen to love me (go figure). He has chosen to grant me not only mercy…but grace. When Jesus died on the cross, my sins, errors, mistakes, transgressions, and failures were paid for. The stains of life were washed away. Isaiah puts it this way, Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (1:18)
As for my dexterity, I’m still a danger to any fabric that comes within 20 feet of me. I still stumble and fall. I still should use the butter knife rather than a steak knife, for the safety of everyone at the table. But my internal stains and failures, though many and varied, are washed away. I stand before you a klutz of epic proportions…but forgiven and redeemed by the grace of God.
Chad