Stains

My two little girls are opposites! Hannah likes to always be clean whereas Esther can hardly wear something without staining it.
One time I was baking some chocolate muffins. I took the tongs off the cake mixer and gave one to each of the girls. Within a minute Hannah was calling out that she needed a wet rag because she had a little bit of mixture on her hands. Whereas Esther came inside later completely covered in mixture! She was having a great time!
Hannah and Esther are a picture of two different types of people.
Dirtiness represents sin. Some people are like Esther, not caring how dirty and stained their lives become. While others are like Hannah--hating sin and trying to stay pure. 
Now, let's talk about Esther for a moment. Esther is always staining her clothes. She got a brand new top for her birthday. I put it on her, but later she was going outside and I knew she would get dirty as our section is very wet at the moment. So I put waterproof overalls and a jersey over top. I thought, There is no way she can get her new top dirty. I was wrong! She came inside later with mud down her sleeves, so now her sleeves were stained! Another time she managed to get into the deep fryer and got oil all over herself. Those clothes had to be thrown away as I just couldn't get the stain or the smell out. No matter how much I scrubbed or soaked, the stain wouldn't come out.
Did you know sin is like that? It leaves behind ugly stains in your life. When you confess your sin to God and repent from it, God forgives and cleanses you. But often you will still have to live with the consequences of your sin. For example, if you tell a lie, people will find it hard to trust you again. Even though you've asked God for forgiveness, you will still have a stained reputation.

Sin can stain the relationships you have with people. Sin can stain your purity. 

 Do you want your life filled with ugly stains? Sin may seem like fun at the time, but it leaves behind terrible stains.

Now let's talk about Hannah. Hannah is very particular about staying clean. When we sit down for a meal, I often give her a wet rag or I know I'll have to get up in the middle of the meal! She can't stand having dirty hands! But even though she is so careful, she still gets dirty. She needs baths just like Esther does and sometimes her clothes get stained aswell. The same goes for you. You should be like Hannah, staying away from sin and keeping pure, but just like she still can't stay clean so you can't be perfect. You will still sin no matter how careful you are and how hard you try. That's why you need a Saviour. That's why Jesus had to die on the cross. You can't be good enough.
Also, Hannah can't see her face. Sometimes while she is fussing over her hands, she has no idea that her face is covered with food. She would be horrified if she knew! And so you also are often so blind to how sinful you really are. You need the mirror of God's Word to show you your sin and then you need the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you.
One more lesson I have learned through watching my girls. Esther's influence has changed Hannah a little. Sometimes Hannah will now splash in puddles and get all wet because that's what Esther is doing. I'm sure Hannah wouldn't do it if Esther wasn't there.
And the Bible teaches us that "Evil communications corrupt good manners." If you hang around people who love sin, it will start rubbing off on you and you will start to do things you wouldn't do otherwise.
So remember these lessons.
    1)Sin leaves behind ugly stains.
    2) You should hate sin and stay away from it.
    3) You can never be good enough which is why you need saving.
    4) You'll become like the friends you hang around, so choose good friends.