Have you ever been in a situation where you just felt completely exposed and naked to everyone around you even if they couldn’t see you? That moment happened to me on Saturday when I had my first bucket shower experience. Here at training camp we have a wooden shower station that has 8 small stalls with a curtain. You stand and let the water flow under you to the ground. I filled my bucket with cold hose water, had my change of clothes, and realized I didn’t have a towel. So I had 3 options. Use my dirty shirt. Ask a friend. Or air dry in my stall. But the last option would use up time for someone else. (We are on a tight schedule) I had no choice but to use my shirt. I get in my stall with barely any room to put my stuff and I got all my clothes off and started bathing. I have never felt so humbled and exposed at the same time. I felt like I was in the middle of a field where everyone could see me and were staring at my sin. I felt like the woman from John chapter 8. She was brought to Jesus by the Pharisees who had caught her in adultery, they made her stand in the front of the group and expressed to Jesus how they were wanting to stone her. I just imagine this woman naked, exposed to all her guilt, and shame. Could you imagine an enemy of yours exposing your sin like that to a crowd? Wanting to kill you because of what you have done? But instead of shaming her and agreeing with the men he says, “Let he who is without sin be the first to cast the first stone.” And ONE BY ONE they left. Wow. The grace that was given to her in that moment is the same grace that extended to all of us. Isn’t that beautiful? This comparison might seem extreme because I wasn’t being brought forth to be stoned for a sin. But isn’t that how our sin makes us feel? Exposed and naked when someone finds out our secret? The length we go to to hide it? Take that exposure to the Father, he wants to cover it with his love. I’m thankful for a bucket shower and using a dirty shirt to dry myself that taught me just a little glimpse of how humble we ought to be.
Thank you for reading,
-Lauren
