By Donna Bucher
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing
of water with the word, so that he might
present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV
One of those tasks
which never feels done, washing dishes tests the patience of every good
housekeeper. Dishwashing presents a repetitive task occupying space on the
daily “To-Do” list.
As an accomplishment
driven personality, dishwashing mocks my need for completion almost as much as
dusting. The moment the last piece of silverware hits the drawer, another item
appears in the kitchen sink.
Yet, in some
twisted way, dishwashing provides a form of therapy for me. Though we own a
dishwasher, in the three plus years in this home, the door of the machine has
never been opened. Admittedly, only my husband and I occupy our home, but even
when a family of five claimed dish space, the dishwasher remained a silent
observer.
While I keep my
home clean and tidy, my two favorite tasks are dishwashing and laundry. Holding
soiled items in my hands and through my loving efforts rendering them clean
again brings extreme satisfaction. Even though moments or days hence I must
repeat the same effort.
God met me at the
kitchen sink one day recently during one of my therapy sessions. If dishes
could talk, mine would have amazing tales to tell. For to them I impart my
sorrows, anger, and disappointments, along with my hopes, plans and the next
several things on my To-Do list.
On this particular day, my morning
intention included “slowing down” and noticing God’s presence in the moments of
my day.
But hearing his
inward voice as I scrubbed the coffee stains off my sink caught me off guard.
Just moments before, I lamented an occurrence which happened at work earlier in
the week. Unhappy with my response (again), I asked the Lord if he ever tired
of my failing him on a regular basis.
The words of
Ephesians 5 stopped me as I rinsed the sink. “You are washed by the word”. Followed by the thought, “Yes, I still get dirty in the everyday of
life, but God cleanses me from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV.
Indeed, by God’s
mercy He saved me by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy
Spirit at salvation. Titus 3:5. But He continues His perfect work of washing
and renewing each time I come to His Word.
Like the clean water cleansing the dirty
dishes day after day, the pure, clean water of God’s Word deep cleans my soul,
scours my motives, sanitizes my thoughts and rinses my conscience, as I immerse
myself in its truths and obey them.
I patiently wash
my dishes because I value them, and in fact I enjoy using them; even though
they require daily cleansing. My loving Heavenly Father patiently washes me
through the power of His Word because He loves me; I am His peculiar treasure,
even though my sin nature causes me to become dirty again.
When I come to Him with an open, repentant
heart, the pure water of His Word removes all of sin’s hindrances, and frees me
once again for the master’s good use.
Dear One, if you
feel world weary and discouraged by sin, lean into God’s cleansing touch today;
be immersed in the pure water of his Word. For his cleansing faithfulness knows
no limits.
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Donna, I am also one who happens to like washing dishes. It is mindless to me and so I can use that time to think and pray. I so appreciate the connection you have made here. Much the way we wash dishes because we value them and they will be used once again. the Lord washes us in and through His Word to cleanse us and prepare us to be used once again. Thank you for this beautiful post!
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