“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,” Exodus 19:10
We have been washing clothes for centuries. The methods have changed but the desired result has not. Don’t you just love the feeling of having finished your last load? What would you do if you were starting your first load, and your washer decided to quit during the soak-cycle?
My phone rang on Monday, “Mom, my washer just died, and I have a whole load floating in water,” my daughter groaned. She had another nine loads laughing up at her from the floor.
“Have you tried unplugging it and rebooting? How about readjusting the lid?”
“Yes, Mom.” I thought a moment and smiled thinking of seeing my grandchildren.
“We can find a technician to look at it. I’ll finish the other loads for you, hon.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll be over.”
We had a great time washing clothes. I told my daughter that the day before in my Bible study class I had challenged the ladies to write down something they could do to share God’s love. We laughed together because I had decided to wash clothes for someone. The Lord had allowed me to be a blessing to my daughter. The clothes smelled so refreshing that her husband asked to change their brand of detergent!
When she returned home, her floating clothes had picked up an unpleasant aroma so she opened the cabinet above her machine to search for a remedy. My phone rang again, “Mom, you will never guess what just happened. A wrench just fell out of my cabinet and hit the lid of my washer and it came back alive! It’s working just fine now.” I pictured my heavenly Father looking down from Heaven and smiling. He answers prayers His own way. He washes us in His own way too.
When He saved me, He began His work in me. He began His sanctification process which involves cleaning up the outside to match my new inside. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). I must learn to submit to God’s Word and His Spirit’s conviction. Some days He uses the gentle-cycle when I am feeling weak. When I am feeling strong in self, He just turns on the heavy-cycle and lets me spin awhile. When I get a stubborn streak, the soak-cycle is all He needs to get me to come up for air. When I am finally learning to obey Him more, He hangs me out to enjoy His sunshine; but when I get a little sassy again, back in the wash I go. I know that you must desire to be clean and refreshing, too. You just have to let the cycles run their course. You need to submit to His washing in your life and realize He knows just what is needed for you to have it all come out in the wash. When you feel like you are just going in circles in the Christian life, be assured your heavenly Father is controlling the spin cycle. He’s been washing Christians for centuries now. He’s good at what He does. Hang on and enjoy the ride!