Sin Is Like Food Coloring

What does that even mean? Where are you going with this? Curious enough? I promise there's a purpose in the wording of this title. Yesterday was my son's 5th birthday. We had decided we would bake a cake together in the evening, but it was getting late, so we were rushing. I went off to get myself ready for pictures and left the kids decorating their cupcakes. Cupcakes take less time to bake, so we switched plans! My husband had a headache, so he was sort of supervising when the following happened.

My son had been hoping to use food coloring for the cake initially, then for the cupcakes, so he walked in holding the food coloring as I had just placed the last cupcakes in the oven to bake. Debating in my head if I should take them out or leave them in, and weighing the reactions that would follow each option, possible disappointed screaming or tampered with cupcakes, I explained to him it was too late and that we would use food coloring next time. I was pleasantly surprised he took my decision well. Back to the rushing part of the story.

I expected to find my two children sitting down at the table where I left them to decorate their cupcakes, but instead, I found my son with blue food coloring tainted lips, tongue and fingers! "Why do these things happen?" I asked myself trying to compose myself. It was one of those parent moments where: I am frustrated at the spontaneous cleaning tasks that pop up in motherhood, confused as I wondered and asked my husband how this could happen in front of him without him noticing, reaching for the camera to record this cute moment, worried and searching my mind if I knew if eating too much food coloring could be harmful, and taking a deep breath telling myself, "Get over it now. It's time to continue the birthday celebration."

As I washed my son's hands he noticed the blue wasn't coming completely off. After I decided him eating the puddle of food coloring on top of his cupcake would probably not be the best idea, I picked up the cupcake and threw it away. I helped him decorate another cupcake, and made sure to put away the food coloring this time, which got me thinking.

Here's what I mean that sin is like food coloring. I had explained to my son that we would not use food coloring on these cupcakes. He decided to go against what I said and did it anyway, much like Adam did with God. Adam decided to do the thing that God commanded him not to do and sin was now stained on him and humanity much like that blue coloring would now remain on my son's hands for that night. God in the process of washing our sin off of us became stained himself. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

I can't help but wonder when God told Adam not to eat of that fruit or he would die, if God said it with a weight on His chest, so to speak, knowing that there was more weighing on Adam's decision than Adam's own fate, and that it would cost Him His own Son's life to restore humanity from their sin. I can't help but smile to know how much the Father loved us to give us such a precious gift, his very own Son. I'm so thankful Jesus told us that it was because the Father loved us so much that He did this.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

It was because of my love for my son that I cleaned up the mess that he had made, even if it meant getting dirty in the process, and so it was God's love that led Him to allow Jesus to get dirty with our sin on the cross and have the scars to show us the extent of His love and sacrifice.

"Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.'" John 20:27

Granted, my son's food coloring will eventually disappear on it's own, but our sin wasn't going anywhere without God's intervention and for that I am grateful.