My Great Grandmother (known by my extended family on my Dad’s side as GG) was a fabulous story teller. She regaled us constantly with humorous anecdotes and hilarious memories. There was no end to her story telling and poem reciting. and we all loved her for it.
We had a few favorites we’d make her tell us over and over again. One unfortunate story was about my Uncle Larry falling out of the car as a child. I’m not sure why she even told us about it, maybe to scare us out of ever opening the door of a moving car? But, she had a way of making anything and everything incredibly dramatic and terribly interesting.
There was one brief child hood memory she shared with us, that I remembered this morning. My husband is out of town you see, and so I’m attempting to create less work by using paper plates, which means fewer dishes to deal with. At any rate, as I was throwing paper plates away after breakfast, her story came to mind.
As a child growing up, the folks living next door to GG had a strange habit. They did not wash their dishes. Instead, they merely licked their plates clean, and each only used their own dish, never giving them a thorough washing. She told me they were wealthy and had plenty of access to water, but still they chose this over true cleanliness. I vividly remember GG saying with great emphasis, “Those dishes always looked clean, but you sure didn’t ever want to eat dinner at their house…”
Okay. gag. Go ahead, I did.
But, after the initial disgust of that memory wore off, I have to tell you what I thought. This is what I realized. In my own heart, I am no different. None whatsoever. I go around, wiping stuff up in my life, hoping to give the appearance of clean to those around me, rather than actually taking the time to go before my Heavenly Father and confessing sin, letting Him wash me thoroughly.
Often I am more worried about my appearance before man, rather than what my reality is, which is sinful.
and that is disgusting.
But the good news is this : There was a sacrifice made, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all unrighteousness. And because He is my righteousness, I can have a heart that is whiter than snow, completely, thoroughly clean.
Thank you Heavenly Father for this gift of forgiveness and righteousness through your Son, Jesus. My I remember that it is not the appearance that is important, but that I actually live in the freedom that comes with accepting these gifts you freely give! amen.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:8-9)
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