Stain Guard Your Spirit

Each day goes by involving a new outfit.  Not sure about you, but my favorite part of the day includes changing into pajamas and comfy socks.  Dependent on the hours and activity, the first outfit lands in the dirty clothes hamper.  

My children bring in even more dirty clothes to the mix.  My husband drops quite a few as well into the hamper.  Amongst all these clothes, each piece tells a mighty story.  The red marking on my daughter’s pant leg reveals the secret that lunch landed in her lap.  The ink line across my son’s shirt exposes the mistake of not clicking the pen in while putting away other items.  The stench (God love him) from my husband’s workout clothes displays the hardship of such intense work done earlier that day.  The mystery stains appearing on my pants explains the lack of patience to reach/find paper towels.

All this exemplifies life experienced each day.  The difficulty/frustration comes into play when clothes run through the washer without treatment.  Stains can easily be missed, especially when little ones tend to throw clothes in hamper inside out and wadded up like a basketball.  Yes, they are still young and I cannot place full blame on them for missing such stains.  But, really, how am I supposed to keep nice clothes in presentable order if I cannot see stains or have no idea they exist?  -Rant over-

As I dwell on such thoughts, a correlation to my spiritual life surfaces.  See, each day involves new mercies; but, that does not erase sinful actions hidden in the day prior.  Every circumstance, word, action or thought tells a mighty story.  Days come and go that my spiritual life looks like a pile of stained up, filthy clothing.  The word spoken through a frustrated mouth reveals lack of peace.  The drawn mouth displayed for all to see exposes failure to experience joy.  The blank stare displays the absence of love.  The slamming of items, stomping of feet and tensing of muscles due to ‘stress’ explains the lack of maturity in my Christian journey.

The struggle is real.  The battle occurs daily.  The stains appear before I can catch/prevent them.  Be whatever the trigger, temptation or trial; we all experience the moments when a stain clings tight to our spirit.    

Thankfully, God offers grace.  God reminds us to daily clothe ourselves in clean spirit, remembering the new creation has come.  Leave the old, tattered and stained up spirit behind.  Pray fervently and God will reveal the sin binding your life.  One sin at a time, God provides strength to overcome sinful nature.  He knows just the most perfect time for cleansing to take place.  He carefully exposes the words preventing peace.  He peels back the hidden memories stealing joy.  He lathers each moment in love and matures our spirit each day.  He keeps us clean and looking snazzy!  

No stain scares Him.  No stench prevents Him from drawing near.  He will bring peace, joy and love into every moment.  Daily clothe yourself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.    

 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Colossians 3:5-14

Dressing for the occasion keeps stains at bay.  Be ready my dear friends, for the enemy prowls around looking to overtake a situation God has planned to benefit His Kingdom.  Stain guard your spirit by living out Truth, keeping your eyes on things above.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.  Sheree Craig