The Car Wash - Pt 1

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10 ESV).

Through the generosity and kindness of several folks our 15 year old Tahoe is going away soon. We were able to drive it with relatively little maintenance or service issues for over 250,000 miles! Unfortunately the last few weeks have not been maintenance free and it required us to think about a replacement vehicle. That is going to be possible soon. This necessitates the cleaning of the Tahoe. Over the years I have put various little things in the storage areas of the car. Funny how I forgot that that twelve foot measuring tape was in the side pocket; and, I wonder what I needed that for! Well, it’s going to be clean for the next step in its journey. As a result of cleaning out the old car, I began to think about how easy it is to put “stuff” in the storage areas of our lives. It also reminded me of how many people I see who are stuck in their relationships in a cycle of repeating the same things over and over again. They repeat the same misunderstandings. They rehearse and re-rehearse the same arguments. They repeat the same wrongs. Again and again things are not resolved. Night after night they end the day with nothing reconciled; they awake with memories of another bad moment with a friend, spouse, neighbor, co-worker or family member and they march toward the next time when the cycle will be repeated. It all becomes predictable and discouraging. They hate the cycle. They wish things were what they once were. Their minds swing between nostalgia and disappointment. They want things to be different, but they don’t seem to know how to break free, and they don’t seem willing to do the one thing that makes change possible – clean out the car. This is the effect of confession. Here is the point: no change takes place in our lives, or the lives of those we know, that does not begin with confession. The problem for many of us is we look at confession as a burden, when it is actually a grace. This grace begins with a change in our attitude, focus, and intent. Change is all about measuring yourself against a standard, being dissatisfied with where you are because you see that you have fallen short of the standard, and seeking the grace to close the gap from where you are to where you need to be. In the next few days we’re going to look at how to make those changes. After all, it is spring; and, perhaps it’s time for some deep cleaning!