Several years ago my daughter invited some of the cousins over for a sleepover. Unbeknownst to me, someone brought a big bottle of Tropical Red Punch. During the night a large glass of this punch was spilled on our carpet. My husband did everything he could think of, but the stain remained. We just figured it would be in our carpet forever.

Then we got to know Skip. One day at church, my husband just happened to mention to Skip about our stubborn stain and asked Skip if there was any chance at all that it could be removed (Skip had his own carpet cleaning business).

A few weeks later our doorbell rang. It was Skip. He was on his way home from an appointment and dropped by to see what he could do about the stain. Within about 10 minutes the stain was gone. We were dumbfounded! Skip had just helped us with something that we couldn’t possibly do ourselves. Periodically, I still look at that place on our carpet where the spot used to be and think of Skip—I am so grateful to him for his kindness and taking the time to help us out.

Today, after thinking about Skip, my mind went to Christ. No matter how hard I try, I always seem to make mistakes. Many times I feel utterly hopeless. Then, I’m reminded that Christ atoned for our sins. Only He can remove the stains of the mistakes we have made. He gives me hope when I feel hopeless. He makes up the difference when I fall short. He helps me do what I can’t do on my own.