May 21: White as Snow
Some memories feel like a stain that will never come out, no matter how hard you scrub.
““Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
God speaks through Isaiah to people who’d gone badly wrong. The chapter is full of hard truth. Their worship had become empty. Their hands were full of blood. They’d turned away from justice.
And right in the middle of that, God says: come now, and let’s reason together. Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Scarlet and crimson were the most permanent dyes in the ancient world. Once cloth was dyed with them, it stayed that color. That’s the picture. The stain you think can never come out. And God says He can make it white.
Notice also the phrase: let’s reason together. God doesn’t just issue a ruling. He invites a conversation. Come, talk with me about this.
That’s what Step Five is, in a way. A conversation with God and another person about the stains. The things you’ve been sure can never be washed out.
It’s normal to struggle to believe this verse is for you. Shame argues back. Maybe for other people, but not for what I did. If that’s where you are, notice that God spoke these words to people whose hands were literally stained with violence. If His forgiveness reached them, it reaches you.
This doesn’t erase consequences. Some things you’ll still need to make right, later, in Steps Eight and Nine. But in God’s eyes, the stain itself is gone. You’re not defined by it anymore.
If you’re carrying deep shame about drinking, read help with shame after drinking. You don’t have to carry this by yourself.
One thing today
Write down the one thing on your inventory that feels most permanent. Next to it, write: though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Read it every morning this week.
A prayer
God, some of what I’ve done feels like a stain that can’t come out. You invite me to reason with You. Here it is. Make it white as snow. Help me believe You can. Amen.
The step of confession: Step Five.
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