Billy Coffey
Billy Coffey

Stain Remover

May 5, 2009  

(In the sort of inonic twist that seems to define my life, the post I wrote on Saturday about not freaking out about the flu has resulted in me getting it three days later. Not H1N1. Worse. Like H10N30. And since I’ve been trying lately to go from three posts a week to five or six, I promise I tried to sit down and write something. But then my eyes blurred, my computer seemed to melt into my lap, and I gave up. So I decided to instead open the vault and give you a post from way back when, just so I can feel as though I’ve accomplished something today. Your prayers that my eyeballs won’t fall out or my throat doesn’t explode would be appreciated. But on the other hand, I get to spend all of today on the sofa watching Steve McQueen and Humphrey Bogart movies. Becase even if you’re sick, turning lemons into lemonade is fun.)
I am standing in aisle eleven at Wal-Mart next to a fortyish woman who is both smartly dressed and a bit frazzled. Both of us are contemplating the correct choice among the dizzying array of what may well be the most important technological advancement for anyone trying to protect an innocent home from the ravages of children.

Stain remover.

I woke up this morning to find a blotch of spaghetti sauce on the sofa. How’d it get there? No idea. But as the blotch was in the shape of a small handprint, I have two suspects.

Such events are common in the lives of parents. There are messes and spills and catastrophes both large and small. And there are stains. Many, many stains. So many, in fact, that I can’t seem to walk through my own house without glancing behind me to dwell on them all.

So. A trip to Wal-Mart.

I don’t know this lady beside me. I don’t know if her issue is child-related or not. I don’t ask, and she doesn’t tell. We piddle through the bottles and packages and cans of cleaner, pondering to ourselves.

Stain fighting has come a long way. Whereas past generations had to make due with soap and elbow grease, we are fortunate enough to possess the fruits of science. As I scan the shelves I see products that promise to eliminate stains completely, to restore damaged goods to immaculate condition, and to do both with a minimum of effort. After careful thought, I choose the bottle that promises to clean deeper than its competitors and even disinfect while doing so. Excellent.

The lady beside me makes her choice as well, opting for the industrial strength cleaner that promises to eradicate not only stains, but staph, strep, and E. coli as well. I raise an eyebrow and offer an appreciative nod. She must have a bigger family.

She turns to leave and chuckles, partly to herself and partly to me. “Wish they could make a stain remover for your life, too,” she says.

What a wonderful idea! I think to myself. After all, there is even more to clean up in a life than in a house, children or not. There are plenty of messes and spills and catastrophes of varying degree. There are surely more stains. In my own case, a lot more. And like my own house, I can’t seem to walk through my life without glancing back to dwell on them all.

I’m sure I’m not alone here.

It would be nice if we could all just stroll over to aisle eleven at the Wal-Mart, grab a bottle of miracle goop, and rid our stains with one quick spritz and wipe.

But we can’t.

Cleaning up failures and regrets is a lot harder than cleaning up spaghetti sauce. Those stains are deeper and more permanent. That’s okay, though. Because those stains remind us of what happens when we try to go it alone, when we think we can do things our own way, in our own time, and with only our own interests at heart.

Walking through this life is more like walking through the woods than a house. It’s tough and hazardous and it’s easy to get lost if you’re not paying attention. And no matter how carefully we step or how experienced we believe ourselves to be, we all get a little filthy in the process.

But there is a secret to getting through those woods and safely back home. It isn’t to look down in shame at the stains we’ve managed to get on ourselves, it’s to look up to the God who can take those stains away.

The God who put our eyes in front of us so we can see where we’re going, not where we’ve been.
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Comments

  • Peter P

    Thankfully, in God’s eyes our stains are gone!

    We may not be ble to get rid of them but one day We will rise up to meet our savior in Glory and all our stains will be washed away.

    We will have new bodies, a fresh start and there will be no more sorrow or tears.

    The stains may be visible now but in the grand scheme of things, they hardly last a moment!

  • Helen

    Mr. Clean Eraser is good on the walls. I don’t have kids. I think it is me that is the walking stain machine.

  • God’s Not Finished With Us Yet…

    First of all sorry you are feeling so sick. I’ll be praying for you.

    I think I read this post before from you, but I’m glad you reposted it. I genuinely needed to read this as I’ve had to seek God and pray about some ’stains’ I made of my own. Stains that I needed to get clean even if my intention was never meant to create a ’stain’. If one suspects it does (even when that person didn’t mean it) they still need to try to make things right.

    We all do this at different times in our life. And yes, wouldn’t it be so nice to have a ’stain remover’ for our life, but you’re point at the end is so true.

    We can’t continue to look down on ourselves, especially after we tried to get those ’stains’ removed. After that all you can do is just learn from it and then, like you said “Look up to the God who can take those stains away.
    The God who put our eyes in front of us so we can see where we’re going, not where we’ve been.”

  • April

    AMEN, Billy! So very sorry to hear that you’ve come down with a nasty flu bug! To me, there’s nothing that’s much worse! Just be sure to take it easy and get in plenty of fluids. Kind of makes you wish you invested in a surgical mask, afterall, huh? Get better soon!

  • Anne L.B.

    Billy, sorry to hear that you’re sick. Maybe it’s the Lord’s way of giving you a mental rest too.

    A friend of mine says what we carry from our past is like the plunder from Egypt—the idols of gold that would be sanctified by fire and used for the Lord’s tabernacle. I figure the lingering stains in my life are the areas that haven’t had enough fire yet. Aaack!

  • Candace Jean July 16

    Let me go slip on a mask and gloves before I comme……

    There, I’m back. Hope you feel better soon, Billy! Are you sure it’s not WD40 or R2D2?? Because either one would be really awesome.

  • Seeking Grace on the Narrow Path

    Amen, brother! Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus is the best stain remover!
    Bren

  • Beth in NC

    You poor thing! I didn’t know you were sick! Thank God it isn’t the swine flu, but still … take care of yourself. I’ll be praying for you Billy!

    Yeah, I’d buy some of that spiritual stain remover if someone made it. Ha.

  • Lori

    We have strep circling our house–just called the doc for the fourth time in two weeks to get antibiotics for yet more sick people:)
    Get well soon–and nice tale of cleaner–way to see God everywhere. He’s there if we just look.
    May He open our eyes to see Him.
    Lori

  • Amy

    Billy,
    Great post!

    I sincerely hope you feel better really soon! Do you have to take Tamaflu?

    Blessings,
    ~Amy :)

  • Frisbies Forever

    We do have a stain remover don’t we? I hope you feel better soon. We are struggling with it our house too. The body aches are a killer. icky wickies. Hope they are all gone soon.

  • Lianne

    Feel better, Billy!

    My stain remover is blood. It was shed a long, long time ago on a dark day on a hill far away. I am so thankful for that!

    Thanks for another great post.

  • katdish

    Well, it’s new for me to read, so that’s cool.

    I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick. It’s a good thing you are resting and not trying to do something stupid like working out or some such nonsense…

    I love how you can go to Wal*Mart and find some spiritual truth in the household cleaning aisle.

    Me? I just want to take a sharpie and draw fu-man-choo mustaches on the 547 copies of “Your Best Life Now!” books. But I’m immature like that.

    And now, off to tweet this post because you keep forgetting to do that.

  • lynnrush

    Oh yeah. Stain remover for our life’s spots. Sweet.

    I remember this post. It’s nice to see it again. Great one.

  • Heart2Heart

    Billy,

    Please head on over to my blog this morning for a very special “Golden” surprise package for you.

    Once again, I hope to one day have the writing skills you are blessed with!

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

  • Jennifer

    A great post the second-time around, just as it was the first. Glad you shared it.

    Hey — Praying for your eyeballs to stay in your sockets, and your throat to loosen up. Take care, friend.

  • Denise

    Sorry you are sick. Not the swine flu? H10N30 sounds like the “wild boar” version! Praying that all things stay where they are supposed to be while you mend from this affliction!

    I have enjoyed this post. First time for me!

    Shalom,
    Denise

  • jasonS

    Praying for a quick recovery for you. Also I think you write the best ending lines of anyone I’ve read! So great.

    Also I’m not sure why you’re trying to move to 5-6 a week, but I really enjoy what you’re doing now. Your posts are a little longer but also very full so it’s nice to let them sink in for a day or too!

  • sharilyn

    hey, billy… so sorry you’re sick!! the flu is such a drag whether it’s swine, bird, or just good ol’ generic flu!! :(

    i’m praying for you today that you will rest well with no aches and pains…and will be able to enjoy the lemonade!

    wv: adamate — something said about one’s spouse when s/he does something right and good — “Adamate!” (you know, like ‘atta girl!’) : )

    hope it brought you a smile… however weak… (the smile or the wv!)

  • twofinches

    Billy

    I am sorry you are suffering with the flu but glad you are making the most of it!

    Forgiveness seems to be a theme for me this week. So many people were talking to me about it and I had been counselling someone on it…so this morning I wrote a post about it too. But I like your picture of God as the ultimate stain remover.

    As usual this is beautifully written and has inspired me to think deeper.

    THanks

  • elaine @ peace for the journey

    How thankful I am for the “resolve” of the good and gracious God to absolve me of my guilt and to wash me in his image.

    Feel better and find your rest.

    peace~elaine

  • Julie Gillies

    Prayers for your speedy recovery, Billy. The worst part about being sick (besides feeling awful) is that canatonic, bored feeling from lying around for days and days.

    Hoping you don’t feel that way.

    P.S. Drink Emergen-C – lots of it. It always helps us!

  • Beth E.

    Billy,
    I’m so sorry you’re sick! Sounds as if you are feeling quite cruddy.

    Please take care of yourself, and listen to your wife…just do what she says and you’ll be fine! That’s usually the best thing to do, even when you are NOT sick! I’ll be praying for you.

    This post reminded me of the song, There Is A Fountain. These first two verses of the song speak specifically of those stains in our lives:

    “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
    And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
    Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
    And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

    The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
    And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
    Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
    And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.”    Feel better soon, friend!
    Beth

  • Angela

    I loved this. So much truth. I wrote something when I first started blogging about taking out the trash in our lives…the messes, etc. I think it is an issue that we all deal with…we all have messes…some we make our selves, some are made for us by others. How amazing is it that there is no greater cleansing agent than the distilling blood of Christ!

  • Blessed Mom of 8

    Praying you are feeling better tonight!

    I am fighting a cold too! Almost all of us have it :(

    But the best part of your post is knowing THE ONE who LOVEs to wipe away every stain we have and helps us clean up our messes too!

    Hugs and blessings Billy!
    Jill

  • Annie K

    Billy, you’re sick? That’s a bummer. I hope you’re feeling better soon.

    I have industrial size ‘life stain remover’. I seem to use it on a regular basis.

  • Laura

    Oh, Billy. If only.

    I’m sorry you are feeling poorly– glad it’s not of the swine variety.

    Your words preach, friend.

  • Sarah Salter

    Billy, I’m sorry you’re sick! I’d mail you some homemade chicken soup, but I don’t think I could fit it all in a #10 envelope without it getting a little messy. :-)

    Rest. Force fluids. And take all of the time you need to recover. The blog will be here whenever you get back to it.

  • God’s Not Finished With Us Yet…

    Katdish and Jennifer Lee,

    I must add that both your comments were funny/silly for me to read tonight. LOL….

    A nice way for me to hit the hay before I go to bed….’night.

  • Annie

    Sorry you are sick!
    Thankfully there are stains…it helps to have prove I am not perfect and that God has soaked those imperfections up and allowed me a second chance.
    And there is no better way to spend a day watching classic movies! My prayers are with you for a quick recovery!

  • sherri

    Hope this finds you feeling better.

    I enjoyed the stroll down the aisle at Wal-mart and later, through the woods.

    Your observations are great.

    And thanks for the tip about the secret goings on at Men’s group. And yes, I think Big AL missed that first meeting.

  • Yolanda

    I loved this and when I first started writing Jan of 07, I wrote about God being the Ultimate Stain Remover. This was prior to God putting on my heart to place “our” He and I’s writings out here and to be much more vulnerable. He so stretches me.

    Lovingly…He does, blessings to yu.

    Yolanda

  • Anonymous

    This is my first time on your blog. I see that you live near the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have a quesion for you. Is it “true” that you guys down there hang “Jiffy Pop” on your walls for fire alarms? Sorry…..I couldn’t help myself, I love “redkneck” jokes. Hope you have a sense of humor. Maybe next time I’ll sign in!

  • Billy Coffey

    Anonymous – Yes, that’s true. But most of us had to stop using them because the cigarettes in the ashtrays of our stairmasters kept setting them off.

  • Angie

    Amen, bro.

    I love your words.

    Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD,Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18 Glory!

    Praying you get better soon!

  • Anne L.B.

    Is it true that you can run a stairmaster off jumper cables and a marine battery?

    Hope you’re feeling better, Billy.

  • RCUBEs

    Hope you’re feeling better by now, bro. Billy. No cure for viruses except lots of fluids, humidifier if you’re stuffed up and lots of rest or sleep [so no tv! :) ].
    Will pray to the One Who is not only the “Stain Remover” but the “Flu Eradicator” as well :)
    God bless.

  • Toia

    Amen!! Keep your on God and walk by faith, not by sight!!

    Thanks for sharing!! I’m glad I got a chance to read this!!

    PS – Hope you’re feeling better!!