Today, we’re sharing a devotional sent to us by Sister Kenah Lobzun.

I was cleaning a stain today that was on my washing machine lid. I had set a wet piece of clothing there, and evidently, the color dye came off onto the machine. I didn’t notice anything at first. When I came back to do more laundry, I saw it, and I was so discouraged because I realized that it had dried and set in. There was probably no hope of getting it out.

So, I just told my mind that there was no need to stress about it. What was done was done. But, as I was finishing the laundry, I glanced at it every time I shut the lid. I kept reminding myself to get over it and move on. So, I finished the laundry…but…

The next time to do laundry rolled around…

I’d always prided myself on keeping my machines clean, but there it was again, facing me—that one, huge stain ruining the nice, clean washer. I finally caved. I said, “You know what, I have gotta try. I’m going to need something that is abrasive but won’t hurt the finish.” So, I got out a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sheet. Yes, that’ll do it! So, I got that sheet wet and started gently scouring.

“Well,” I said, “It’s just not gonna do it. Just admit it. That stain is in there for good.” Then I said, “C’mon, don’t give up so quickly.”

I went at it again. Ah, yes! I saw a little progress. Yes! It’s starting to lighten. That gave me encouragement. But then, all of a sudden, it stopped getting any lighter. But, I still had some encouragement left over from just getting that far.

So, I decided, “Yeah, I got it. I’ll use a little bleach on the sheet. It could help.” And, lo and behold, it did. It started to become even lighter. Yes! Yes! Then, it was coming off, but the last bit of stain was a struggle. So, I scrubbed in a circular motion and then straight across. It got lighter!

I was not going to give up, even when only a faint sign of the stain remained, because, at this point, there was no reason to stop—I wanted it to look perfect like before.

You see, brothers and sisters, it’s like sin in our lives, whether it be a small stain or many stains or one big stain. A stain is a stain to our souls.

It ruins how we look and feel. That stain seems to us insurmountable to tackle, and we’re too discouraged to even try. Maybe because it’s a habit we’ve had for so long; we feel like it’ll never go away because it’s embedded within us.

But, you get to a point when you break down before the Lord and say, “Hey, I’m going to try anyhow. And with the Lord’s help, I can do it!”

Don’t keep ignoring the stain like I did at first. Yes, we might get discouraged because we don’t see immediate progress. But we can’t give up! The more we try, the lesser the stain of sin becomes, and we’re encouraged to go on.

The Holy Ghost and our dear Savior reassures us that our efforts are working. They provide peace and contentment that we’re going in the right direction.

But, just as that stain took more elbow grease near the end, we have to make sure to get rid of it totally. Halfway or three-quarters of the way is not enough—we can’t settle for that.

Christ is coming for a spotless bride, and He helps us to achieve that. Only through Him can we remain spotless.

It’s like when people are dating, and they want to look their best for the other person. They may try on 20 outfits or more to find the perfect one. Shouldn’t we be even more eager to be spotless before Christ? We can because scripture says it’s possible through our beautiful Friend and Savior Jesus Christ!

May God help us all to care about every stain!

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