blessed clean

Have you ever been really dirty? I mean, dusty, muddy, greasy, sandy, get down and working hard, rolling in the mud, stinky, filthy dirty? I don't know if I have ever been all those things at once, but I have been pretty dirty on occasion.

My dear husband doesn't do anything half way so there are times when he's working on a project that's pretty nasty and he comes in, tired from laboring all day, and he's all of the above. Sometimes I just have to laugh and I say, "You're a dirty bird. What'chu been doin? Rolling around in the dirt?" He takes off his cap, rubs his head and says, "I guess so." Then the first thing he does is head for the shower. He wants to be back to himself and clean again. I think it's mostly a guy thing to get so crazy dirty.

As for me, when I need a bath it's less likely I've been working on a motor, doing yard work, or digging a hole. When I want...need...a shower it's because I have been cleaning house, doing laundry, cooking, taking care of the pups, running errands, etc. and I want to be fresh. I want to wash my hair, be clean and smell good again and a shower does the trick for me in just a few minutes. It's a matter of degrees but the result is the same. Cleanliness may not really be next to godliness, but it's sure nicer than being stinky!

My mother took a shower every other day until about two weeks before she died because she couldn't stand how she felt without one. It took all morning to accomplish this feat but it was necessary for her to feel comfortable and I wanted, more than anything in the world, for her to be as comfortable as possible in her last days.

I'd get out her clean gown and towel and lay them on the bathroom counter, place the shower chair in just the right position for the water not to hit her directly in the face, place a clean washcloth and soap easily within her reach in the shower, turn on the heater in the bathroom, and start the water running a minute or two before she walked in so it'd be nice and warm for her.

"Your things are all set up for your bath, Mom. Let me help you up."

She'd sit on the side of the bed gathering her bearings and her strength to make the 6 steps into her bathroom for the event. I'd turn the water off and once she was seated in the shower, I'd turn the warm water back on. She'd lean forward a little and let the water run over her head, face and body.

"Oh my. That feels so good, Suzy. You just don't know how good this feels to me. You go away and just let me sit here in this water for a while. I'll call you when I need help."

I'd take a few steps into the bedroom and stand by the bathroom door, listening for her call. When she didn't call me right away, then I'd take the opportunity to put fresh sheets on her bed and straighten up her room. In a few minutes, she'd ask me to come help her with her bath and I'd oblige, washing her hair, her back and whatever else she wanted me to wash. When we were done, she was pretty exhausted so I'd quickly dry and dress her so she could brush her teeth at the sink. We'd make her smell good with a little deodorant and Pure Grace cologne. I'd comb her hair and roll it for her and soon she was refreshed and pretty once again and tucked into her clean bed ready for a nap. My mother hadn't been out working in the dirt and hot sun like Byron had but I'll bet she felt as good as he did after she'd had her bath.

My younger cousin, a nurse, went to her friend's house this morning. Her friend is a young woman whose cancer was discovered late and she's very sick. Instead of heading to church, my sweet cousin blessed her friend with a bath. This simple act of kindness, of love, of Christ-likeness, touches my heart more than I can possibly describe. When K leaves her friend this morning, her friend will rest soundly in K's gift of refreshing cleanliness. I love K so much for doing this for her friend.

Showers and baths are wonderful things. Soaps, shampoos, deodorants and perfumes are great things to use and most of us love how we feel when we've washed the work of our day off of our bodies. As much as we want our bodies clean after we've become dirty, hot, sweaty and stinky, the Lord wants us to desire to be clean on the inside too. He wants our hearts and our lives clean. He wants the inside of us clean whether or not we ever get near a drop of water again.

It's a beautiful thing and right in line with what the Lord wants for us, to ask the the Lord to, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

Then, the Lord tells us that He, himself, will make us how he wants us. He tells us, "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool," Isaiah 1:18.

Father, Thank you for those who give of themselves to make others comfortable with something as simple as a bath. It may not seem like a big thing to some, but it's infinitely lovely for the one receiving it. Thank you for the giving heart of a friend. Thank you for being the one who cleans our heart from its scarlet sinfulness to a heart that's white as wool. You are good and your love endures forever. I love you so much.

Suz