The Dishwashing Theory; I am a dish.

    As I was washing a dish the other day, i thought back to all the many times growing up I was assigned dish washing duty. 

    Washing dishes was my main chore. It seemed I was the only one in the house who knew how to wash dishes or something. We lived in an old farm house, and we had never had a dishwasher (besides me). They were always washed by hand.

     I had to wash dishes if I got in trouble, I had to wash dishes if I wanted to go somewhere, I had to wash dishes if there was a fork in the sink. No matter if the sink was piled high on both sides and flowing over the counters, it was my job. 

    So naturally, I had a certain disdain for washing dishes, and when I heard someone in the kitchen cooking I would feel a slow but sure feeling come over me. I hope they aren't cooking anything gross! There are just certain things that aren't fun to wash after they've been sitting in the sink a while. 

   And how many times would I come home from staying the night at a friends and there would be a sinkful of dishes, or even one large pot, with unknown foods stuck and mushed on the sides and floating in the hot-turned-cold water that was "soaking" the dish. 

source: google images

   In cases like this, I would often try to let the water run in the dish and clear out some of what was going on in there without actually putting my hand in the danger zone. It only minimally worked. The water would start to clear up and get warmer as it pushed the cold, murky water over the edge. 

   Then as the water cleared, I could begin to make out the spots that stuff had been stuck to the side of the pot. I would often take a fork and (while trying not to gag from the intense smell and look) scrape the who-knows-what off the side. Maybe I would ask my mom for help if I started gagging too much (I'm so sensitive to smells!). The point is eventually, the nasty pot would become clean. 

After being dried and put away, it was ready to be re-used for another creation that no doubt looks, smells, and tastes great when first made. 

     Today I realized something, maybe not profound, but sentimental to me because of my odd, but endearing, relationship with dishwashing.

I am like the dish. I had years of filth, sin, and baggage stored up in me. I spent years going to church and letting "the water run." I would just take in what was said, maybe take it to heart for a few days, but eventually would forget and not really allow it to penetrate my life.
I didn't want people to see all of my junk. What if it wasn't pretty? In fact, I KNEW it wasn't pretty! They probably would have been like me washing dishes: gagging!!

It wasn't until my senior year of high school, and even more so my freshman year of college, that I realized I needed a complete cleansing. I needed the old to go and the new to come. I was sick and tired of all the unidentified junk in my life! 

It took some realization. It took some confession and tears. But you know what, Jesus came in and He told me He loved me. He said to not be ashamed for His blood shed on the cross covered my sin. His grace was sufficient for me. 

In John 13, a precious thing happens. Jesus knows His time on earth is short. At the evening meal with His disciples, He begins to wash their feet.

 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

We need to let Jesus wash us clean so He can fill us up with His spirit. Only if we let Him clean all that stuff we don't want to touch can we be free! Then we can be useful and purposeful in this world. Then we will taste and see that the Lord is good!!!

Lord, I pray that as I continue on in this life, I will never be ashamed to come to you with whatever it is I need to be cleansed of. I thank You for your unconditional love that has made my heart transition from the past to now, where I am made new. 

I'm so thankful for Jesus, who cares for people like us!