What does hairspray, a bar of soap, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser have in common? It all started with me gathering laundry. And then I found it—an epic ink pen explosion on Dave’s Marc Anthony jeans.
On the right leg, there was a deep purple Rorschach ink design with splatters going outward. I gasped. No…not Dave’s favorite jeans.
I took a can of hairspray and went to war. As I sprayed, I blotted the deep purple ink into an old white cloth. Ha, I’m making progress…I thought, still naïve.
When I lifted the jeans I realized I had made an epic mistake. By not putting a cloth inside the pant leg, I had transferred the stain onto the back of the jeans. I sighed, saddened, but not ready to give up.
Twenty minutes later, I was out of hairspray and time. I cleaned up the mess and decided to let the jeans sit for a day. You see, I had recently resolved to try to fix things instead of replacing them. Little did I know that the stain had a costly lesson to give me.
Calling in Reinforcements
The next morning, I pulled out the damp jeans and spread them on the kitchen counter. It was time to call for help. When Dave saw the stain he sighed. “Wow, that looks bad. I don’t know honey.”
“Please help me,” I said. “I need your strong arms.” We quickly moved to straight rubbing alcohol, pouring it straight on the stain and blotting until our arms ached.Yet, when I finally pulled the pocket out we realized that it was full of purple as well. “Honey, the ink is in the very fibers of the jeans,” Dave said sadly. Yet we pressed on.
Finally, after 45 minutes of us laboring together, Dave had a brilliant idea—to soak the stained spot in a combination of boiling water, white vinegar and rubbing alcohol.
After a ten-minute soak, I drained off the light purple water, to find only a small stain remained. I whispered a prayer for victory.
Suddenly, Isaiah 1:18 came to mind.
“Come now let us settle the matter,” 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.” Isaiah 1:18
I stopped dead in my tracks, stunned. I realized I had a precious opportunity to understand sin and forgiveness in a new way. You see, even more so than purple ink, scarlet dye has incredible sticking power.
