The dishwasher has been broken for 2 months now. That means for 2 months, I have had the joy and privilege of washes dishes by hand...and that broken dishwasher is serving a new purpose...drying rack.
Joy and privilege! Yes, a chore that must be done and is supposedly so much more conveniently done via a machine...washing dishes can be joyful and a privilege.
For the past few weeks as I stood there at the sink I realized I have time to think. Okay, so many of you may think "oh boy. As if she didn't already think too much, now she's rejoicing over even more time," but hear me out.
When using the dishwasher, I was always in a rush, rinse them, load them, add detergent, turn the machine on....wait, wait, wait, and wait some more. Clean dishes. But having to wash them by hand, I realize I have time to "think". Even more time than say...hiding in the bathroom. Cause let me tell you, the kids find you in the bathroom, the husband finds you in the bathroom, but the kitchen while you are washing the dishes? Well, let's just say for the most part everyone disappears. Now don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes I just need a moment to process the day and that's where the dishes come in.
Tonight, as I stood there, I started thinking about school stuff, but then I started thinking about God, my Bible studies, and it just all started coming together. You see Jesus washed me clean a long time ago. He died for a sinner like me. A sinner like you. He took on the dirt and grime of our sinful life so we can be made clean. But just like I'm reading in my study about righteousness, there is the right there immediate kind of righteousness that is found when we accept Jesus as our Savior. This is imputed righteousness. This is something we can only have through Him and it's immediate.
But you see it doesn't stop there. Just because we accept Christ doesn't mean we can just go out and live as freely as we want to. You now comes work and transformation.
As I went to set a dish on the rack I realized I had missed a spot. I missed it because the lighting at the sink isn't the greatest and so I had to wash it again. There are many times this happens in our Christian life as well. We were washed clean; however, that isn't the end. We keep living and we keep having to make the choice daily to follow God. Sometimes that gets tough. Sometimes we slip, we fall, we make decisions that cause us to get dirty. And sometimes we allow that dirt to prevent us from believing that God still loves us, still gives us grace. You see, this is where practical righteousness comes into play. It's the day to day, moment by moment actions and decisions we make. We have to choose to fight the darkness with light, we have to choose to put on the armor and stand at the ready for when the dirt tries to enter in.
So like that dish where I missed a spot because it was too dark to see it, my life and yours can easily get turned upside down if we spend time in darkness. And at first it may be a little spot, but if it remains in the dark, it has room to grow and build over time. The only way to fight it is with the truth, with the light, with the cleaning that only God provides. So I encourage you to be in the word and to be in constant prayer, constant conversation with God, walking with Him daily. And remember: Just like I didn't toss the dish just because I had missed a spot, God won't toss us aside either. Take it to Him...no matter what the 'dirt' is, repent, give it up, and DON'T try to take it back.