Have you ever thought about cleaning? Not just a “oh look, it’s dirty” kinda cleaning, or a “it’s not dirty, but we’re gonna clean anyway” but a cleaning that goes beyond the dirt!
Over the last three months, I have been volunteering as a Housekeeper in Maui. I have so much appreciation for people who do that job. It take a lot more work and effort than most people realize. I had fun with it, but a lot of that came from where I was working, who I was working with, and most importantly, who I was serving!
Some days were frustrating. We felt like we were cleaning what was already clean. No dirt. We were “wasting time” just trying to find something to do. Other days, we were so busy and things were SO dirty that we thought the day would never end. There were many types of cleaning days…from a simple spruce to a deep clean.
It got me thinking about life and how often we look past the dirt. More often than not, we tend to give ourselves a quick clean, getting rid of what is visible. It’s easy to hop in the shower and clean our body, wash our hair and get rid of what everyone sees. But, how often do we clean our inside? Do we go deep and clean what only you and God knows and sees? Do we let God do a deep clean in our lives to remove the “invisible” dirt that we only see when we scrub. Sometimes, the dirt doesn’t want to come off. Even our outer surface can be difficult to clean.
Are we willing to be cleansed? If so, how much? A little, a lot or not at all!? Are we happy with where we are or do we want something more, something deeper? To be really clean, we need to be washed from the inside out. It takes time, effort and energy. It is exhausting. Often, we find what we do not want to find. We begin to realize so much about ourselves when we remover the “dirt.” It’s not a pretty sight. The water becomes filthy and will need to be changed many times. Some areas will need to be scrubbed a few times before it looks clean. The best part about it is the feeling when the cleaning is done. You’re refined. Purified. Refreshed. Restored. Renewed.
The catch is…it’s not a one time thing! We can’t just shower once and be clean for the rest of our life. It’s a daily task. God’s waiting to wash you…are you ready!?
