Last week, my coworker, Julie, decided to bless the staff on our unit with a hot waffle breakfast, to thank them for all that they do for our patients. I wanted to contribute, too, so I decided to make blueberry syrup to go with the waffles.
The next morning, I got up early and began to make the syrup. I washed the frozen berries that I had saved from last summer. They were so plump and juicy! I knew they would be perfect. I added sugar and cooked them up, making the most delicious, thick, sweet syrup ever! I quickly put the syrup in the container, making sure the lid was tight, and carried it out to my car. I couldn’t wait to share with everyone!
By the time I got to work, however, I found an enormous, sticky mess leaking out of the hatch of my car. The syrup had tipped over and somehow knocked the lid off the container, spilling about a gallon of thick, blue, sticky goo all over the inside of my car! I just couldn’t imagine how I would ever get the mess out. Blueberries make a great dye, so I was sure that my grey carpet would be purple forever.
I had to work all day. I thought about taking the car to the carwash next door to vacuum out the berries, but that still wouldn’t get the sticky syrup out of the carpet, and the stain would still be there. I would need a better plan.
When I got home, I got all of my cleaning supplies together and went to work. I scooped and scrubbed and dabbed and brushed, and then did it all again and again. It took me almost three hours, but with lots of detergent and elbow grease, I was able to get the carpet clean. (The rubber around my hatch still sticks, though I have cleaned it twice more).
This made me think. I have made a sticky, gooey mess of my life so many times. I have great big blueberry sin stains on my heart and soul, but Jesus has just the right “detergent” to get me really clean. The Bible says, “Though your sins are like scarlet (or blueberries?), they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, NIV). And: “These are they that have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14, NIV).
I praise God that He is able to cleanse even the messiest sin from my life, leaving no stain behind! Jesus is the best stain-lifter ever!
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2 comments:
What a good illustration!
But how were the waffles without the syrup? Had I been there you might have found me at the hatch of your car mopping my waffles around!
Good words.
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