Power Washin'

It may sound silly but I really enjoy power washing. It gives me a chance to think and pray while doing something productive. It's also very rewarding and immediately gratifying. Right before your eyes, you can see something look brand new again very, very quickly! Sometimes the item doesn't even look dirty but when you power wash it, you realize it was disgusting! 

God often speaks to me through the simple, mundane things of life. I just love how He speaks to me through whatever I'm doing. It proves to me that He is always nearby, always working in my life, and always eager to teach me. Tonight, as I was pressure washing our fence, I was suddenly amazed by the grit and grim that was being washed away. The water was hitting against the wood, taking the dirt with it, making it look new again, and making the surrounding dirt look as though someone was shining a spot light on it! I felt as though God was saying, "Isn't this a lot like sin, Tori? Sin covers your life, making it filthy and ugly but Jesus' blood washes it away, making you new. And when that happens, other sin is exposed."

Even though this fence looks like a "good" fence, it was incredibly dirty, covered in filth. The same is true in our hearts. Even those who seem like "good people" have dark, hard hearts that are riddled with sin. We all need to be cleaned when we don't even realize it. 

The "good fence" that didn't even need to be cleaned looks completely different after I power washed it. It looks brand new. I had no idea that beautiful, vibrant wood lived under all that grim. 

Can you see the difference in the power washed pieces versus the ones that hadn't been done yet? Look at that difference! It's hard to tell in this photo but I also cleaned those slats with different levels of pressure. So, the one furthest left was still sort of dirty because I didn't clean it as well. The middle one is better but if you looked really close, you'd see a lot of yuck trying to blend in. The third one had the full pressure cleaning, right up close, and it looks amazing! It's truly clean!

We do that in our lives too, don't we? We slightly clean up things so that we look better to others or feel a little better to ourselves. But when we look up close, there is still a lot of yuck. Or we barely scratch the surface of the sin in our lives and it just looks better for a few days and then starts to become an issue again. That's why, we need the full pressure, the right-up-close washing! We need to bare it all to Jesus, surrender, and allow Him to cleanse us fully. He's the only way to wash away all that filth and make us like new.

I just had too...lol

After Bryan and I are completely done power washing the fence, we will stain it. This wood was never stained in the past which is partly why it was so dirty. Honestly, the wood is in much better shape than it appeared before we washed it! We're going to stain it so that it will stay healthly, strong, and clean. Staining it will prevent it from rotting and becoming covered in grim and mildew. It will keep it safe, allowing it to be more beautiful, for much, much longer. 

The same needs to happen in our lives. Once Jesus washes the sin away, we need to be intentional about preventing the same sin to creep in again. If we aren't actively seeking God by praying, reading His Word, and worshiping Him, that dirt will slowly start to cover us again. It won't even necessarily look dirty but it will be. Thankfully, Jesus' blood never looses the power to wash us clean but once we've been cleansed, we should do our best to stay that way!

Today I am thankful that God reminds me of His precious gift of forgiveness and purity and even His ability to cleanse, strengthen us, and renew us. He can use anything to teach and remind...even a power washer! I'm also grateful that He will wash me and make me new. Even when things don't appear all that dirty, He has the ability to wash every little sin away and draw me closer and closer to Himself. Honestly, He does all the work. We just have to be willing and ask Him! 

Please power wash us Jesus, and not just a "skim-the-surface" kind of clean. Clean us thoroughly, make us new, expose any other underlying sins and make us more like you!