My sweet daughter, Gracie, is a blessing. She loves to kiss, cuddle, draw, read, play chase Gracie around the house, and routinely melts our hearts. Many times she is a reminder of God’s grace to us (one of the reasons she got the name she did). Many times through her we are reminded that all are born sinful, that as sweet and innocent as she seems, she is a sinner like the rest of mankind. We love her dearly and are blessed to be her parents.

God used her today to remind me of something. While I was changing her brother’s diaper, she somehow got hold of a pen and began scribbling on our loveseat cushions. Now, I need to tell you something about myself. I love things that look nice. I don’t necessarily mean expensive things. I like it when towels are folded, when curtains hang straight, when crumbs are picked up off the floor, when things are orderly and neat. One of my favorite parts of the day is at night after the kids are down. Greg and I come upstairs and straighten the house, so the next morning I have at least 2 minutes of neat & clean before the kids are let loose. This particular loveseat is in a corner of our house with a large window facing the mountains and the Puget Sound. At the right time with the right weather, you can see snow-capped mountains, perhaps a glorious sunset, all from the loveseat. It’s one of the cozy places in the house for me, and I commonly spend time with my Bible there. Do you get where I’m coming from? Do you hear how I appreciate cleanliness & “my” cozy corner? These scribbles directly messed with something I love and enjoy.

I turn around from changing Caleb’s diaper and see the scribbles and my daughter holding a pen with the “I know I did something wrong” look on her face. I also see the loveseat desecrated. Black scribbles are pronounced across the side corner of the loveseat and one of the cushions. Here’s what goes on in my heart, before I address my daughter: “Oh no! I have no idea how to get pen out of microfiber! Is it possible? Can I google it? I’m upset! I hate that the loveseat looks dirty & used now! I can’t fix it! We can’t afford to buy a new loveseat for years. I am going to have to stare at these ugly scribbles for years.”

I’m disappointed. I’m hurt. I’m angry. What do I do with it? Jesus led me to pray for help at that moment, and I’m so thankful for that. Grace was crying pretty hard when I called her over, and it took a few minutes, but she finally calmed down and we were able to address the “no-no” and reconcile. She then went down for a nap, and I went back upstairs and stared at the scribbles that I’m pretty sure won’t come out.

I prayed again, because I was having a hard time forgiving my daughter. I cried and asked Jesus to help me see the scribbles through His eyes and His perspective. I told Him I knew it was just a couch, but I’m weak and need help believing it.

Oh, what a sweet answer He brought me! Within the next 10 minutes, He was faithful to answer that prayer. Those scribbles are like sin. Our sin, my sin, Grace’s sin. We scribble and stain our lives, and there’s no amount of scrubbing, stain removal products, vacuums, or fancy cleaning strategies that will remove those stains from our lives. Religion (or Pinterest) tells us to scrub hard and do the right thing to be clean. It simply doesn’t work. Not one of us can make ourselves clean again, just like I can’t remove pen from microfiber. Our lives are sin-stained, and our only hope is Jesus Christ. He alone can remove our sin-stained garments and give us white robes of His righteousness. He alone can remove our sin-stained heart and give us a new one. He alone can fully cleanse, restore, renew, and redeem us.

These scribbles, which were first an annoyance, are now a precious reminder to me of Jesus’ cleansing & righteousness given to His children. I can’t wait until Grace is old enough for me to tell her the story of the scribbles on our loveseat. What a gift! A beautiful reminder, permanently etched (I hope!) in our microfiber loveseat of Jesus’ ridiculously amazing love for His children. I’m a thankful mama tonight!