As most of you know, Heather and I do not have any children yet. The closest thing we do have is our two spoiled rotten dogs, Gaby and Kate, and I have to say we take really good care of them. One thing we always take care of as responsible dog owners is keep them well clean and groomed. We brush them and bath them every seven to ten days.
Here’s the problem: Gaby (pictured above) hates to take a bath.
It is like she senses it is about to happen and will often try to hide. We have to track her down and either push her or bribe her to waddle into the bathroom. If she is feeling really sassy or ornery, she will growl and act tough to whoever is trying to get her in the bath. Once she gets in the bath and starts to clean up, she actually somewhat likes it because it is like one big massage. Knowing the battle is already decided, she stops fighting. After the bath is over and she is dried off and clean, she excitedly runs around, woofing, and seems the joy the feeling of being freshly clean.
Isn’t that often like us with God?
Think about it. There are so many times when we are dirty and in need of a spiritual bath. I call this the process of putting a spiritual mirror up to your life – also known as refinement.
How does God give us a bath and get us clean? There are so many times when he tries to clean us through conversations with a close friends, through times spent reading his Word, through challenging messages we hear on Sunday morning, through times of intimate worship, and through many others ways.
We (and I say we because I am real good at this) tend to hear things that God brings into our lives so that we can clean up a little and become more like him. Those times are often faced with defensiveness, pride, denial, performances that we have it all together, justifications, and straight up ignoring.
We know that God, our Heavenly Father, is trying to make our lives better by cleaning our lives up a little. And like Gaby, we also know that we enjoy the feeling of being clean and fresh in his eyes. The problem is that we often hide and avoid spiritual bath time and when we are forced to it, we go kicking and screaming.
What in your life needs to be cleaned up? Are you hiding from getting spiritually clean? Do you go kicking and screaming into your spiritual bath?
Maybe the best thing that you and I can do today is enter God’s presence and ask him to reveal something in our lives that needs to be cleaned up and ask him to help us do what whatever it takes to get clean. I know I would absolutely freak out if Gaby voluntarily hopped into the bath one day without any prompting by me ready for her bath.
Let’s get spiritually clean today. Life is way better that way. If you do not believe me, just ask Gaby.
