Raspberry Juice Stained Shirt

Everyone knows that upstate New York is famous for snow, maple syrup and brilliant Fall leaves; what is less well known, however, is that there are prolific growths of scrumptious wild berries everywhere! Now, after reading the story below you might be tempted to think that I am guilty of the crime that it describes. I should point out, however, that most crimes are crimes of opportunity and if there had not been acres upon acres of juicy temptation lining our yard, I would have been spared this marring blot on my otherwise spotless record...I'm just saying!

When I was about 4 this unfortunate scenario played itself out in my life. Having been dressed in my Sunday best I was left alone to investigate the contents of the wild raspberry bushes in the backyard. Now, I know what you might be thinking - Don't go into the raspberry bushes, you'll stain your nice white shirt. Well, maybe you and your all-knowing-hindsight-is-20-20 self should have been there to help a brother out instead of logging your remarks into the department of the obvious. So there I was with streams of living raspberry juice running down my Sunday shirt and my mom is coming around the corner.

What now? Even as a 4 year old boy, I understood that it's probably not a good idea to irreversibly soil my only white shirt right before church. So as my mom, who has finally found me, asks, "John, have you been eating raspberries?" I am forced to reply in the way that seems least incriminating, "No!?!" Meanwhile everything from my eyebrows to my Velcro shoes are drenched with raspberry juice. Fortunately for me, my mom is a nice person and being only 4, rather than snatch me up and beat the tar out of me, she took me inside and changed my clothes.

Here's my confession - not much has changed! 25 years later I still find myself in situations where I've made a mess of things. Only now, it's not my mom looking for me, but God. When He finally finds me and asks me what happened I'm tempted to respond in much the same way I did when I was 4, "What raspberry juice?" Why do I do that? Why do you do that? God stands ready to forgive us and wash us clean. Shouldn't we approach Him with that mindset?

God is a gracious God. He forgives us even when He would be justified in condemning us. He washes us clean when we've made ourselves filthy. In fact, even in the face of our blatant rejection of His forgiveness He still offers compassion instead of judgement; when we've stained our only white shirt with raspberry juice he stands ready to get us changed and move us forward. Here's some advice from one shirt ruining liar to another, don't do what I did. And, when He comes and asks you about it, tell Him; He already knows anyway.