“Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!” – Lady MacBeth, from “MacBeth” by William Shakespeare
In one of the most heart-wrenching scenes ever penned, Lady MacBeth tries to cleanse her hands of blood, even in her sleep. Though she and her husband had successfully murdered their rival and gained the crown, the knowledge of what she had done was too much for her. Her guilt robbed her of the very happiness she was seeking, leaving her nothing but an empty shell of remorse.
As you watch this scene performed by Academy-Award winning Judy Dench, note the desperation and hopelessness this poor woman’s wrongdoings have caused her:
With this infamous scene, Shakespeare has given us a mirror into our own souls. Who hasn’t done things they deeply regret? We’ve all made mistakes, and no matter where we go they threaten to haunt us for the rest of our days. Like Lady MacBeth, we can wash our hands until they’re raw but cannot remove the blood stains through any effort of our own.
The Bible plainly states that every single one of us are in this position:
“Behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.” – Numbers 32:23
Is our situation hopeless, then? It could have been, but God loves us too much to let us continue in this misery and doom. Scripture offers a glorious promise – He can take our blood-stained hearts and make them white as snow!
“‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them white as wool.” – Isaiah 1:18
Everything you heard on Easter Sunday is true. Jesus died on a cruel cross out of love for us, and His blood – the blood of the Most High – has the power to remove every trace of our wrongdoing. Imagine a life without the guilt, without the hopelessness, and you’ve imagined a life with Jesus in it.
Search the Scriptures for yourself, and you’ll know this to be true. Can any of us really afford not to? Listen to the desperate cries of the Lady MacBeth within your own soul, and call out to Jesus for help today!
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Today’s post is part of the A-to-Z Challenge, where participants commit to posting one article for each day during the month of April – one for every letter of the alphabet.
Check back here at “The Artistic Christian” for a daily slice of art (art reviews, practical tips, and motivation for artists), all steeped in a rich Christian worldview.
The Artistic Christian 
Nicely done, John. This is the stuff of great stories. Well, you’ve already demonstrated that with Shakespeare. And so true — who hasn’t done things they deeply regret. Some things are impossible to get past.
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Thanks! Dealing with these universal themes is what made Shakespeare’s work so great, I think!
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Praise God for His Salvation and Grace! It means the world to know we are made right with Him. Of course we still suffer some repercussions in this life. And even after all these years I still struggle with my language and temper. One day at a time!
http://lifefaithincaneyhead.blogspot.com/2017/04/atozchallenge-perspectives-pretenders.html?spref=fb
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Yes – thanks for this reminder! We aren’t perfect this side of Heaven, but it is so sweet to know those stains are washed away!
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