Professional Stain Remover

It was no coincidence that I was up at 3:00 a.m. scrubbing a stain out of the carpet.  I couldn't sleep and had lay there tossing and turning long enough, and since this stain had been bothering me every time I walked past it, why not get up and scrub it.  I tried 2 different carpet cleaners I had, yet the stain only spread into a larger stain.  I was beginning to think I would need to call a professional carpet cleaner, but it just didn't seem like a big enough problem to make the call.  After all, it was only one stain.  The rest of the carpet in the house was clean.  Yet every time I walked down this particular hallway, this very stain caused a cringe inside of me.  All the clean places I gave no attention, yet this one stain consumed me.

After scrubbing for a few minutes only to create a more annoying, larger, wet stain, I went and sat in my favorite chair in my den.  Alone in the dark, I began to ask God about a particular stain in my life.  Why couldn't I lift it no matter how hard I tried?  Why did this one stain bother me so much in spite of all the clean places in my life?  This very stain in the hallway of my home was symbolic of the stain in the hallway of my life.  It became clear to me that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to do it alone.  This was a stubborn stain and I knew it would require a "professional stain remover." 

So instead of focusing on the stain, I decided to focus on the One who could cleanse it.  The One who could make it white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).  The One who if I keep my mind on Him, He promised to keep me in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).  So I took my eyes off the stain and put them on the "professional stain remover" - Jesus Christ!  Only then would I be able to move past the stain in the hallway of my life and enter a new place.  As long as I stayed stuck in the hallway focused on the stain, the enemy would prevent me from experiencing the beauty of what was ahead.  I refused to be paralyzed by the stain, and decided to walk in faith trusting that my Savior would either clean the stain or move me past it.

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  With that in mind, and in the spirit of shifting my focus, I decided I will indeed call in a professional and go back to bed.

What stain do you need Him to clean for you today?

Love Always,

Shy