The old dressing table had been languishing in our garage for quite some time. I can still picture it in its original state in my mother’s bedroom. Before it came into my possession, the surface had been painted a bright yellow. This furniture held too many memories to allow me to part with it and my husband decided to restore the finish.
First, he stripped away the layers of paint and then sanded it down to the bare wood. As the layers were stripped away, marks and stains became exposed. They may have been caused by a drink or??? being set directly on the wooden surface. The paint had done an effective job of hiding the damage, but under its cover, the stains remained.
The marks were sanded out but nothing could remove traces of yellow paint that had seeped into the wood, leaving a permanent stain.
In a way, I’m like this old piece of furniture. Many stains have appeared over the course of my life. I want to cover them up so you won’t see my imperfections. The longer I keep them hidden, the more they will become embedded into my life, causing permanent damage.
Sooner or later the bright surface I show the world will become stripped away. My stains and imperfections will be exposed.
A better choice is to confess my sins and leave them at the feet of Jesus. He is the only one with the power to completely remove them and renew me.
By making a habit of coming to Jesus, I need not fear what will be exposed when the layers are stripped away.
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. (Psalm 51:1 NIV)