Having two children just sixteen months apart can be hard on a mother. Mindful of that, Janice has been diligent to help Karen with our new arrival, Ben, and Ryan, who is now seventeen months old. Add to this the fact that we have our two-year-old granddaughter, Lauren, at our house while her parents are away for a few days and anyone can understand that the ladies need a break.

Having just returned from the Evangelism Conference, I decided to make a magnanimous offer. I would be glad to take Lauren and Ryan for an outing. This would leave only Baby Ben for mother and grandmother to watch. I had only one stipulation; I could take them wherever I wanted to go.

Naturally, Janice was curious about this proposal and wanted to know my destination. I said, “I’m taking the children to the Bass Pro Shop!” I wanted to show them the wonderfully huge tank of freshwater fish. Of course, while there I thought the kids would also like to look at a few boats and fishing gear.

Karen and Janice decided that all of this sounded too good to miss so they came along and brought Ben as well. I explained that this defeated my purpose of taking the two older children thus providing a truly relaxing break for mother and grandmother. I couldn’t help but wonder if they thought I might need supervision. Anyway, they consented to go in another direction, so we put Ben into the single stroller and I got the limo, the double stroller. Ryan got the back seat and Lauren the front.

We had an incredibly exciting time looking at the fish, the stuffed bears and moose. The kids also loved the boats, fishing gear and hunting stuff that we looked at.

I followed the prescribed plan that Janice issued me when we separated – there is always a plan. I was to meet Janice, Karen and Ben at the food court at 12:20 pm. I was there right on time. After an unusually hectic lunch, Lauren, Ryan and I were off again. The plan was to walk the remaining part of the mall and return at the rendezvous point and time.

I hadn’t gone 50 feet before I heard Lauren saying something, obviously directed at me, but somewhat unintelligible. I stopped the stroller and walked up to the front seat to ask what she was trying to tell me. As I got close enough to see Lauren’s front I saw her tiny right hand rubbing a sizeable oval shaped red spot of catsup into her white shirt. I said, “Catsup! Where in the world did that catsup come from?”

Immediately, it was apparent that Janice, in addition to giving Lauren some French fries, had provided, I’m sure at Lauren’s request, a very healthy serving of catsup.

I wheeled the stroller around and walked the short distance back to the table where Janice and Karen were enjoying the remaining part of their quiet lunch. I said, “This falls under the ‘What were you thinking category.’ Just look at Lauren. She is covered with catsup.” I was agitated about it, but Janice seemed incredibly cool. “It’s no problem, I’ll take care of it when we get home.”

“Sure, Dad,” Karen chimed in, “that kind of stuff happens all the time. I have some good stuff I use at home that will take that right out.”

That was easy enough for them to say; now I am pushing my grandchildren around the mall. Lauren is right out front with this huge catsup stain on her white shirt. I can see it in the eyes of every female that walks by me. I know what they are thinking.

“Look at that grandfather. Poor schmuck doesn’t even know that you should never give catsup to a baby. Just look at what a mess he has made of that beautiful white shirt. That stuff is never going to come out of that shirt. Her mother is going to be so upset. Who in the world would ever turn a grandfather loose with two young children like that anyway? That’s a formula for disaster.”

I wanted to say to every one of them: “It’s not what it looks like! I didn’t do that!”

It’s now several hours later. Amazingly, Janice has just walked into my study to show me Lauren’s white shirt. I don’t know how long Janice had to work on it or what she used to clean it, but there was not even the slightest hint of a catsup stain on that shirt. It was as white as snow.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everybody knew that Jesus does that for us? The Bible says, “...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Only the blood of Jesus Christ shed for the remission of our sins has the power to remove the stain of sin from our lives. The fact that He died for us is a fact that must be told and told again until everyone in the world and everyone in your neighborhood has heard the Good News!

Tell it, church! Tell the Gospel as you have never told it before. Let us pray for a great and glorious God-sent revival sweeping across Georgia and throughout this nation, a revival such as the world has never seen.