A morning of errands and a stop at church seemed the perfect opportunity to debut a brand-new T-shirt. This shirt was an original, sporting the newly-minted logo of our 50+ group against a beautiful violet backdrop. Looking down to admire my outfit, I noticed immediately that my white sneakers were quite the dingy detraction from the “look.”
“Nothing a quick scrub won’t fix,” I thought as I headed to the kitchen. A few minutes later, sneakers passing inspection, I went back down the hall to finish my makeup and hair. I must admit, I was proud of myself for looking particularly spiffy and put together that morning. For someone who most days wishes there were Garanimals® for adults, that is quite an accomplishment.
One look in the mirror changed everything.
My beautiful violet T-shirt now hosted tiny splatters of white below the logo. Not specks. Oh no, these were tiny, pin-head sized spots of white that no amount of hand-brushing would remove.
I used a liquid cleanser on my shoes, forgetting that bleach is one of the ingredients. Worse, in my haste, I shook the open bottle slightly when the solution didn’t dispense immediately. Not once did I think about the possibility that it might splatter.
“Uggggggh!”
I quickly changed shirts, laying my beautiful new shirt aside to deal with later. I figured a paint pen would easily fix the error of my thoughtless ways.
Four days later, my browser history included phrases such as,
How can I remove paint from clothes?
How can I match a violet shirt to fix bleach splatter?
The latter search brought me to an article explaining how to remove bleach stains from clothing. Not once had that possibility even occurred to me.
I’ve thought a lot about that shirt lately. When I see it, every time I walk into the bedroom, I’m also reminded of how easily splatters happen.
I’m not talking about bleach, food, mud, or various other substances we encounter daily that keep detergent manufacturers in business.
Even when we avoid obvious temptations and do our best to behave, we can still get splatters. We see and hear things that we can’t always avoid: angry, unkind words; vulgarity sprinkled into regular conversation like salt on French fries; graphics that are a little too graphic.
What do we do when we get splattered?
Some say just let it roll off. But the things we hear and see can stick with us, like the splatters on a colorful new shirt.
I’m reminded of the code of conduct for the girls’ ministry group I taught years ago, words from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:
Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8 KJV).
Whenever I read those words I hear the echo of sweet voices gathered around the classroom table.
In verse 9, Paul encouraged his readers to do those things which they learned, received, heard, and saw in him.
When we get splattered, we don’t splatter back. Oh, how I would love to repeat the catchy comeback that often pops into my head! But that isn’t the way of Christ. His way is that I pray for the splatterer, then ask Him to replace the ick with thoughts that align with His Word. Being salt and light does not mean that we get to be salty!
My attempts to fix my shirt did not go well. Trips through the local retail craft aisles led to one conclusion: there are as many shades of “violet” as there are paint manufacturers. None of them matched my shirt. My efforts to remove the bleach stains, combined with my attempts to cover them, led to improvement, not restoration.
The really great thing is that when God removes splatters, He does so perfectly. He restores us to His manufacturer specifications.
I’ve got a spiffy, brand-new, splatter-free violet shirt to remind me.
Copyright 2026 lifeatroomtemperature.com Sherry A. Hathaway All rights reserved.