The Stains On The Deck

It was a fall cleanup day.
The day when all the deck furniture goes into the unfinished part of our basement.
The day when the side porch accessories get placed in a large bin until the spring.
The day when the leaves are blown from the mulch beds.

As much as I enjoy putting all these things outside, I never mind bringing them inside.
It tells me that cold weather is coming.
Cold weather makes me feel more alive.
Cold weather means fireplaces, blankets, and hot chocolate.

It is so funny how one thing is a trigger for something else.
Fall cleanup means winter is following close behind.
To some, the shorter days and longer nights are a bit depressing.
To me, they are cozy and very welcome.

I may be in the minority but that is fine with me.
I have always loved winter.
I do not like hot weather and humidity.
Not one little bit.

I hired a young man from across the street to come and help my husband.
Our sons have homes of their own now.
I remember what is was like for our sons to earn a little money.
I knew that this young man would enjoy earning a bit more.

In no time, they were finished.
Everything was tucked away for the winter.
The deck is now empty; memories of our summer meals there are fresh in my mind.
The porch swing, the rockers, and the table and chairs are there, but the extra touches are gone.

My youngest daughter came home from having breakfast with a friend.
Oh, it look so empty, she said, as she looked out onto the deck.
It does, but it is perfectly fine.
It really is fine.

As my husband looked at the deck, he saw the stains.
He saw the stains from the walnuts that the squirrels had cracked open.
He saw the moss that was growing between the deck planks and the house.
He saw the circular ring that the umbrella stand had left right in the center.

I think I’ll power wash the deck, my husband announced.
He went down the basement to get the power washer.
He attached it to the hose outside and went to work.
I could hear the dull hum of the power washer as he worked on each plank.

Immediately, I could see the difference.
The areas he already washed were clean, without any stains.
The areas he had yet to wash had remnants of the summer all over them.
I was getting used to the hum of the power washer and then it stopped.

It’s just not working like it should, he said.
I think I need to buy new nozzles, he went on.
I could see that his shoes were off and the bottom of his pants were wet from the spray.
He walked into his office in his socks.

I knew he was looking to see if the home improvement store had any nozzles in stock.
They have them; I’ll be right back, he said as he grabbed his keys.
In about a half hour, he returned with the new nozzles in hand.
He set to work, determined to finish before dusk.

I noticed that the sound was different.
The spray, with the new nozzles, was much stronger.
The stains were coming off the deck with ease.
I knew that he would never want to leave the job unfinished.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:1-12)

King David had sinned.
He took the wife of another man as his own.
The woman became pregnant.
King David had the husband placed on the front line of battle so he would be killed.

God was offended.
That is what our sin does to the heart of God.
After all David’s scheming to try and hide what he had done, David was confronted with his sin.
David knew that against God alone he had sinned.

David knew that he needed to be cleansed of his sin.
Guilt is powerful.
Guilt is destructive.
David knew that only God could cleanse him; so he came to Him in true repentance.

Only God has the right nozzles to wash away our sin.
Anything we try to do on our own to remove our sin is weak and ineffective.
The stains are still there; we can never truly wash them away.
The stain of our sin is only washed away by the Blood of Jesus.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Power wash me, O God.
Remove the stain of my sin with the Blood of Your Son.
Only then will I be truly clean.

I hear the hum of the power washer.
It sounds different to me.
It now reminds me of another washing.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Amen.