My wife and I have a washing machine in our basement. You dump the dirty clothes in, add the various detergents and softeners, push “go,” and about a half-hour later we have clean clothing.
Sure, you have to dry them, fold or hang, put away, but they’re clean. And it’s a great object lesson.
Ever feel like you’re drowning in problems? I bet that dirty shirt felt the same way when the water level in the washer climbed up. Then a nasty situation or two was added to the water.
But wait! There’s MORE!
The clothes don’t get clean without agitation. On many top-load washers there’s that post in the center called an agitator. Front-load washers just rotate the drum, so the clothes turn over and over and over.
Your life is like dirty clothes, and God can’t clean it without agitation. Though the blood of Jesus cleaned YOU, your life requires constant attention. That situation leaving your bank account empty is agitation. A coworker harassing you, your car breaking down, a mouthy teenager, a difficult decision, a spouse endlessly finding fault, are all God working detergent into your life.
What’s important to you? Does God top the list? Do you pray?
Think about this (or even try it out):
Take a coffee can and put a few rocks in the bottom. Next, put in some sand until it’s about half-full. Now shake the can like you’re giving it an earthquake. Eventually the stones will come to the surface.
What you value in life are the stones. Shaking the can brings that to the surface. So if you value money more than God, agitating the can shows you that.
There’s a story about a man who owned a donkey that fell into a pit. It was an old donkey and not worth much, so the man decided to just fill in the pit and be done with the donkey. But the animal wasn’t going to sit still and get buried. He shook off the dirt, one shovel full at a time, and eventually the pit filled and the donkey stepped out of it.
One analogy I’ve always like is this:
If you feel like God’s hitting you with a load of manure, it’s probably just fertilizer. I wonder what He planted.
Faithfully waiting to see what grows is the peace that passes understanding. The rest of the world will watch as God’s washing machine fills, people waiting for you howl in anguish. The detergent and softener will get dumped on your head, and your enemies will cackle in glee.
A half hour later your banquet is ready. Your enemies will be there, slack-jawed, wondering what happened.
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