A Good Shower

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. (Psalm 36:1-9 ESV). I am always a little amazed how easy it is to overestimate my personal goodness. It is easy to compare myself to others of my own choosing and come out looking like I’m doing pretty well. In our reading today the psalmist says we “flatter” ourselves so much that we cannot recognize our sin. The answer for this is prayer. For the child of God, prayer is like taking a shower. Over the past few months, especially as it has gotten Texas hot, working at all outside results in a serious dirt problem. It isn’t hard to miss unless I compare myself with some of the construction workers who really are doing the hard labor. Compared to them I’m pretty clean. Oh, there may be a smudge or two, but nothing like the caked on dirt of foundation and concrete workers. Well, it only takes a moment of conversation with Mary for every bit of the dirt and grime to appear as if by magic clearly fluorescing in the light of her examination. The answer is to get a shower… immediately. So it is with our prayer life. When we submit ourselves to a relational conversation with our Father, it is easy for us to recognize that our comparison with others simply is not effective. They may be dirty, but so are we. It is then that I can get bathed in his love and I am “as white as snow” again. Of course we have been made clean in the work of Christ, but like Peter, we need the traveling dust washed from our feet (cf. John 13:1-10). When I take a shower I submit to the water and soap that makes me clean. When I pray I surrender to God allowing the living water, Jesus Christ, to cleanse me of all that hinders my relationship with God. I step into the shower of God’s love and grace. A quick shower is better than none. But I have to stay in the shower long enough for the cleansing and renewal I need to take place. I let go of all else for the moment as I receive the presence of God. As I consent to God’s presence I am refreshed. My soul is renewed in faith, hope, and love. In prayer we become persons who express the love of Christ. We are called to demonstrate the grace of God. When we are cleansed by grace, we can be gracious. Immersed in the love of God, we become people of loving compassion ourselves.