Recently, I noticed that my windows were pretty dirty and I couldn’t see out into my front yard without looking through a layer (or more) of dirt! I decided it was time to get to work today! I started out hosing all the windows off with the water hose and then removed the screens and hosed some more. Lots of dust and dirt and cobwebs came off. As I was rinsing, I thought about how I am like those pesky windows. Dirty—inside and out. When I try to look outside, my view is distorted by layers of grime, dirt, and cobwebs, aka pride, selfishness, and resentment. Some of the layers are really thin and new; others have been there a long time and were put there by some pretty powerful storms.
I rinsed all the “loose” dirt off those windows with a simple water hose. For a brief moment, my windows actually looked clean…well, clean-er. Then, the light hit the windows and I noticed that I might have washed the cobwebs off and the dust that settled on them this morning, but there was quite a bit of work left to do. I was still looking through a layer of dirt. I wondered if I’ve ever done the same thing to myself. Have I ever just tried to rinse off some of the newer dust and pretend I’m clean? Do I ever just put on a smile and pretend everything is fine? Eventually, the Light hits me and I have to admit, I’m not really clean at all. I’ve just rinsed off the newest layer of pride, selfishness, and resentment. I decided I'd have to keep working on those windows…
I went and got the bucket with some “Magic Window Cleaning Solution” and my squeegee. Those windows got a serious scrubbing. Now the outside was clean. I stood on the porch and marveled at the difference that made. I thought I’d go inside and see how great my view looked now. Hmmmmm….I still felt like I was looking through a fog or a cloud. I wondered about myself again. Am I like that sometimes? I’ve fixed all the layers of grime, dirt and cobwebs on the outside. I’m gleaming and sparkling, even in the sun. But am I really clean? On the outside…yes, but on the inside? Maybe not so much. So even though I’ve changed my habits and mannerisms, and I make good choices most of the time, I’m still not clean enough?
Well, now I knew I had even more work to do. I mean, cleaning windows on the inside is even more hard work than the outside. You can’t just take a water hose and a squeegee and think everything’s going to work out. There’d be a serious mess to clean up then! Inside, I had to raise all the blinds, get some paper towels and the “blue spray”. I was amazed at the amount of dirt that stuck to the inside of my windows. You’d think I live in a barn or something. Even more amazing was the view once I wiped everything clean. Who knew I had black rocking chairs on my porch and not grey ones!? Crazy, I know, but I could actually SEE the world outside of my house again. So what’s the lesson now? Well, maybe there’s a layer or two of dirt, grime and cobwebs on the inside of me too. Maybe just cleaning myself up on the outside and changing some habits isn’t enough afterall. Maybe, just maybe, I need a little deeper cleansing that goes beyond the water hose, the “magic window cleaning solution” and the squeegee. Maybe I need some cleaning with a special cleanser…maybe the only way to be completely clean on the inside is with the cleanser that will wash away all the YUCK on my insides and make them completely pure and clean.
David said in Psalm 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” How did God accomplish this in me, then? He sent Jesus, His One and Only Son. Jesus was willing to shed his blood (the only permanent cleanser) on a cross to cleanse my insides. That permanent cleanser is how I KNOW that I’m His. I belong to Him. I may make some choices that aren’t great, but just like I’ll be standing with the cleanser and a paper towel to wipe off my windows when new dirt starts to build up, God stands ready to
“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2).
How blessed am I that I would have a Father like that! One who doesn’t wait until the view is distorted and cloudy because of the layers of dirt to hose me down. But a Father who stands ready to clean me up and make me shine and sparkle in His light every single day.
Monica
