**graphic warning disclaimer**
Over the last few months, one of our dogs developed a tumor on the outside of her front leg. At first, it was small and unassuming, but it began to grow. A few weeks ago, we had a veterinarian examine it. She sent a sample to a lab, and the results came back as soft-tissue sarcoma. We were given a quote for removal, but the vet was uncertain that the procedure would eliminate all of the cancerous cells.
That left us with a difficult decision: treat it and risk it returning within months, or let nature run its course and give her the best quality of life for whatever time she has left. As much as we love our dogs, surgery and ongoing treatment for an 11-year-old simply isn’t practical. Letting nature run its course is the better option — even if it’s a painful one.
That was until this past week. The tumor burst open — twice. The first time was manageable; the second produced a steady flow of blood. We administered first aid and finally got the wound to clot. Then came the aftermath: cleaning up the blood. It took time. Blood is dark and pervasive — it spreads and soaks into everything. We knew we had to act quickly, or it would stain whatever it touched. Thankfully, years ago, we invested in a carpet cleaner — a wise decision with three boys and two dogs. After scrubbing every spot in the house, the water in the tank ran dark red. And it made me think about something much deeper.
I find myself reflecting on the great paradox of Christianity: how a filthy and wretched soul like mine can be cleansed and forgiven. We are not cleaned with bleach or some whitening agent. We are told we are washed in the blood of the Lamb — how strange, and yet how beautiful, that is to consider.
Revelation 7:13-14– “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Isaiah 1:18 – “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.”
It is this imagery that strikes me most deeply. My instinct would be that becoming clean requires scrubbing and repeated washing. Yet what we discover is that to be truly clean, we must be covered in blood — blood which, in every other context, is invasive and permeates to the very fiber of whatever it touches. Here, those of us who were formerly stained become stained anew — in the blood of the Lamb — and that is what washes us whiter than snow.
This is the only way. We must take something purer than we can imagine — the precious blood of Christ — and let it permeate every part of our lives. Every fiber of our being must soak in this life-giving substance. This week, as we reflect on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, consider the blood that was shed for you. Let it sink in. Let it stain you.