One of my responsibilities in our home is to wash the dishes. Yet, to be honest, there are times when I miss a few spots. I get into surface-cleaning mode, scrubbing only the spots I can see and quickly wipe away. And too often the stains remain. My wife has to repeatedly remind me to slow down and do a "thorough cleaning." Experience has taught me that washing dishes properly involves time. The edge and bottom of a dish must be carefully inspected. The soap has to soak into the areas that have become plastered with chunks of food. And, the scrubber must scrape away any remaining pieces.
How often in our spiritual lives are we content to do a surface cleaning? We do a quick outward cleaning, but inside our lives are a mess. Jesus said to the religious leaders in Matthew 23:25b, "For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." Aren't we the same way? We put on a good façade, pretending that we have our lives together. Yet, inside our lives are torn apart by dirty little secrets and sinful habits. The stain of sin remains.
Ash Wednesday gives us an opportunity to slow down and experience the thorough cleaning that comes from Jesus' death on the cross. Take a moment to carefully inspect your own life. Examine the dark corners. Take a tour of the places that have been corroded by your self-centered ways. Maybe you're still holding a grudge. Maybe you're constantly worrying about life. Perhaps it's a problem with pride or greed or fear. Don't rush through this experience. Yes, you'll discover things you don't want to see. Yet, when you do, let the words of David's prayer flow from your lips: "Create in me a clean heart, O God." Allow God to thoroughly clean your spiritual dishes! Let Him reach in and scrub clean the parts of your life that have become plastered by chunks of sin. He won't miss a spot! 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, reach into my life and cleanse me from every area where I have slipped away from You. Grant me the forgiveness that flows from the cross of Christ. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Written by Pastor Josh Bernau
Hope Lutheran Church - Hastings, Minnesota
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