A true story that took place years ago in the Highlands of Scotland. A group of fisherman sat around a table in a small pub, telling their “fish stories.” As one of the men flung out his arms to more vividly describe the fish that go away, he accidentally hit the tray of drinks that the young barmaid was bringing to the table.
The tray and the drinks sailed through the air, crash-landing against the newly white-washed wall. As the sound of smashed glass and splashing beer permeated the room, the pub became silent as all eyes turned to the ugly brown stain that was forming on the wall.
Before anyone could recover from the startling interruption, a guest who had been sitting quietly by himself in the corner jumped up, pulled a piece of charcoal from his pocket, and began to quickly sketch around the ugly brown stain. To the amazement of everyone present, right before their eyes the stain was transformed in a magnificent stag with antlers outstretched, racing across a highland meadow. Then the guest signed his impromptu work of art. His name was Sir Edwin Landseer, Great Britain’s foremost wildlife artist.
God transforms lives as Sir Landseer transformed the ugly mess on that pub wall. What ugly brown stain does your life bear? Were you abused as a child? Have you abused someone else’s child? Or your own? Have you been raped? Have you been the victim of a violent crime? Have you had an abortion? Or performed one? Have you committed adultery? Or seduced someone else to do so? Is there a nasty addiction in your life to drugs? Alcohol? Pornography?
Regardless of what the stain is, submit it to God you must be willing to turn away from any and all sin. Period. God excels in transforming ugly brown stains into beauty marks when we surrender them to Him. He will bring peace and freedom to you and glory to Himself. And when we get to heaven there will be no more scars and no more suffering of any kind, including the kind that inflicted the wound that has scarred your life.
Anne Graham Lotz, “Heaven, My Father’s House”
Life in the Spirit 