Sparkling White!

Tonight I was given the awesome opportunity to speak at a new ministry called Loving Roots. It is designed to love and support, come alongside, provide care for, and educate young soon-to-be-mothers, most unwed. It is awesome.

They asked me to speak on Purity. That is a tough task for sure. She specifically wanted it to be on Sexual Purity...and even tougher task. I was so nervous. I was scared. I was slightly unprepared (only really my fault). However, God was calming. He filled the room with His word and hopefully their hearts. Tonight I was just a vessel. And that was such a good place to be.

I had this idea (because I am visual) to have some sort of physical picture of what it would be like to start out pure, have sin all over, and then become pure again. Since this is where we all are in life...in need of constant redemption, forgiveness and grace.

My first idea and trial run failed miserably. I tried water, food coloring, and bleach. Then, Jeff and I went to Walmart to figure out how we could make it better. And we did! (or rather, I'll let God have the credit).

We got a white t-shirt. A red marker. And some Oxy-clean. (that stuff is awesome)

During the talk I spoke of God's original plan of purity and how we were made in his image and I brought out the shirt. I told them that our ultimate goal is to stand before Christ in his coming confident and unashamed (pure). The hard part was in the middle...the life part.

Insert: sin, fall of man, us (and the red pen)

I asked them to list off things that the world throws at us that cause us to be impure. They did a really great job of this. Our shirt was filled with red words all over it...from top to bottom.

Insert: God, forgiveness (and the oxyclean)

We went on to talk of how we can set boundaries for ourselves in all areas of life (not just sexual) from things we hear, see, touch, consume, etc.

Then I took the shirt from the water and wrung it out. SPARKLING WHITE.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

I got more out of preparing for the talk than I had planned. God had a message for me in it all. I wanted to share because I was so grateful, and because well...God is just good. And I wanted to share that.