June 3, 2008
Do you ever smell freshly washed laundry?
Do you like the smell of the soap and fabric softener in freshly laundered clothes?
I do. I guess it's a wonder for my husband to see me smell the clothes as I fold it.
I’ve told him often it's a habit.
I wonder if that is how our God looks at us after we've asked for forgiveness:
freshly laundered clothes--crisp and brand new again--
ready to be used again.
Oh, the clothes will get dirty again. That's how clothes are.
That's how humans are too. Both get dirty.
Some wash more quickly.
Some take more scrubbing,
with bleach and other cleansing agents to remove the stains.
Some show dirt easier, so they have to be used with caution.
Some aren't noticeably dirty but need washing anyway.
I am talking about humans, not fabric.
Everyday, as long as we are human,
we need the Lord's cleansing and forgiveness
from sins we deliberately commit and “oops-moments”, as I call it.
Some sins weren’t intentional yet a sin no less.
You know, a slip of the tongue, a thought we played in our mind,
impulsive actions we wish we had thought about.
Those are
“oops-moments” we need to ask for forgiveness from the Lord.
He promised that he would forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I guess the forgiveness part is quick because he died on the cross already.
The cleansing
is a process. It is an everyday, glory-to-glory process to be cleansed.
Washing machine-style cleansing? Perhaps, why not? Clothes are cleansed when
they're spun in hot and cold water.
Humans learn when tossed about in the different elements that surround them.
What kind of cleansing are you going through today?
The next time you wash your clothes and fold them, smell them.
Maybe that's how the Lord sees us when we're freshly forgiven and cleansed.
Brand new and ready to be used again for His glory!
Beth V. Mason