When I was a kid, we lived in a rural area and had well water. The water was full of iron deposits, and so everything we used water on (the dishes, the laundry, our hair) picked up those iron deposits. A new white t-shirt would get dingy after two or three washes. I began choosing colors that wouldn’t look too bad mixed with orange.
The dingy, orange stains would even build up on our white kitchen table (from being wiped with a damp cloth) and floor (from being mopped.) When there is iron in the water, it shows.
I have been blessed for the last few years to live in a place that has softer water. It’s nice to wash the dishes instead of having to scrub all the time. So I was surprised this morning when I washed the breakfast dishes and found that two of my clear glass bowls looked different from each other.
(We have had these dishes for a while, and a few had broken. I found some that matched perfectly, so I completed the set once again.)
I put both bowls up against a white background and took a closer look. I wondered if the new glass was tinted, but no. The problem was fixable: One glass was clean and the other was dirty from the water.
I began thinking about how important clean water is, and how difficult it is to stay clean without it. If you’ve ever been camping in rustic areas, you know how precious the water is. We often have to re-use water in those situations, and at a certain point, you just have to do without. The water you wash in must be cleaner than the thing being washed, or there’s no point.
In the same way, we need a clean spiritual atmosphere. But we struggle with the spiritual darkness around us; we all struggle, even those who don’t believe. Wickedness offends our very essence, the part of us that lives instead of existing. We hear about the shootings, and the terrible domestic situations that come up and it hurts us. We know it’s not supposed to be this way, and we are living in the same spiritual atmosphere as the ones who committed those terrible sins.
The darkness preps our minds for evil, and those who have no way to get clean, suffer. We hear blasphemy spoken casually by ones who have no idea what they are saying, and some by those who do. Everywhere, sex is defiled, and used as a sales tool. Precious things are mocked, while the vulgar and almost idiotic things are upheld and honored. We might unwittingly listen to music designed to turn our hearts away. An off-color joke might makes us laugh, but afterward we realize that we laughed at (approved of) sin.
And as all this dirt goes on in our daily lives, we pick up little particles of it. We remember what we have seen and heard, even when we don’t want to think of it. A little bit of that grime stays deep in our minds, and that sin stains our hearts. We believe that we have remained clean, because we haven’t set out to deliberately sin, but the sinful atmosphere of the world has created deposits on us, a little at at a time, dulling us and clogging up our hearts so that we don’t long for God the way we used to.
I pulled out the good old can of scouring power and began scrubbing, trying to get deep into those little spaces that trap the dirt. I began thinking about how we have to be in this world, but not of it. Those who believe are slowly being renewed into the image of Jesus Christ, the only perfect One, but at the same time, we continue to live here.
It’s a never-ending battle to clean, or keep things straightened. Literally never-ending. No matter how much you clean, someone with a white glove will find something. But it’s unthinkable to stop cleaning.
Even so, cleaning is only one part of this life. We also have to live, produce things, and be fruitful. One day, we will have to answer before God about what we have done with the life He has given us. We can’t just say we stayed clean, because God expects more. He has made us for more! (See the “parable of the talents,” Matthew 25:14 – 30)
You were made for MORE!
This sassy dragonfly posed for me yesterday. Yep, that’s his good side.
So how do we manage this?
In the old days, housekeepers scheduled their work. One day was for baking, one for cleaning the rugs, one for sewing and mending, and so forth. Ritualizing household tasks ensures that the job gets done in a timely way, but it also protects the other parts of life from the never-ending housework.
What if we created times to look over the things in our lives, and take stock without distractions? We need times to just be alone with God. My mom used to have a “prayer room,” and she decorated it with verses, inspirational pictures, and things that helped her focus on God. It was her secret place, and she prayed there.
This lovely swan graced our Sunday walk.
When we take time to think of God, and to visit daily with Him, our spiritual eyes are opened. When we are in the presence of God, we become aware of things we didn’t understand before. And sometimes we learn new things about ourselves. Our quiet time with God can also be a time to “come clean.”
“Search me, O God,” King David wrote, “and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
We aren’t always aware of our sin. We absorb influences and don’t realize it. But when God holds us up against his glory, the stain becomes visible. It’s similar to the way I saw the dirt when I put the glass against a white background. But I didn’t think to put it against a white background until I had another clean bowl to show me the difference. When we are dirty, we cloud His glory; when we are sinful, others look at us and see our sin instead of seeing Him.
The remedy? We need God to cleanse and renew us, so that our hearts want only one thing, to please Him–because when we are right with God, we will be right with everything else! It helps to have a regular time of self examination, so we can look at our own lives through the light of God’s Word. And prayer, which is a solace and time of rest before God. We can ask God to show us where we need help, to give us wisdom for how we are to treat each other.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
How can we become truly clean?
There is only one way. Jesus’s blood regenerates us, and purifies us. When we fully surrender our lives to Him, He makes it as if we had never sinned at all. He makes us new. He paid a terrible price to be able to offer us that, and so, once he has made us clean, we have a responsibility to Him for how we live our lives. His blood never loses its power, so come to the source daily, and get clean. Then get going!
“When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:10-13 NLT)
It’s good to limit (or stop) the activities that make your spirit feel sad. Continuing in them grieves the Holy Spirit, and really, we won’t miss those things at all. We are just used to them. Changing your activities is a little like changing the water you swim in. It becomes far easier to stay clean (and be pure!) when you get away from the things that stain.
We are all in the process of growing, and sometimes we outgrow things. But if you feel distant from God, that means you have strayed a little, or gotten a little residue on your heart. Just look back toward Him; turn your eyes toward Jesus. One thing that is totally in your control is where you pay attention, so be faithful to the One who gives you life, the One who has done so much for you, the One who really loves you!
Our Father is gentle and loving, and he encourages us far more than he punishes. He knows just what we need, when we need it. He doesn’t overwhelm us; he empowers us to make good decisions, so that with every move, we grow closer and closer to Him.
He has not abandoned you, for He left his Spirit here with us. He’s here. But He won’t force Himself on you or nag you. It’s not His way. He wants you to pursue Him, the way you expect Him to pursue you. He desires a mutual love. And once you discover more of Who He really is, you can’t help but worship and adore Him! You’ll be awe-struck, just like the angels!
Let Him draw you close. He loves you so much, and He has plans for you. Nestle into His loving arms and just breathe. You really don’t need anything else.
May God bless and keep you this week, my friends!
The Fullers Four 