Thursday, January 28, 2010

My life under the microscope. Part 3 - The parable of the made bed.

I live in a house with two kids who don't make their beds.

It bugs me, it really really bugs me.

You see I know, know so so well, how wonderful that first night of sleep is under clean sheets after laundry day. And I know as well that as long as you keep the bed made, that clean feeling lasts so much longer. When you don't make your bed there is dirt/dust that gets on the sheets.

Sure, you don't lay there going "Oh this is nasty" you just lay there.

But in a clean bed, freshly made every day and regularly laundered... let me tell you, you just sleep better. You feel clean. You feel fresh. Did I mention that you sleep better?

That's why I make my bed.

And somewhere in one of my many retellings of how nice a made bed is to one of the kids who refuses to make theirs, I realized there was a Spiritual connection - truly I can find one anywhere if you just give me time to think about it.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.



I think too often we spend Monday - Saturday with our sins uncovered. Oh, everything is running smoothly enough, we're not out committing any terrible kind of sins right? The idea of sackcloth and ashes repentance every day just seems a little carried away right?

But do you remember how GOOD Sunday feels? How clean and refreshed you feel worshiping God, realizing there's sin in your heart, repenting, and then worshiping God even more fervently than when the song or the prayer first started? Do you remember how great it felt to finally say those words you've been wanting to talk to God about but hadn't found time for all week? Man how great Sunday feels.

Then Monday through Saturday we forget to make our bed. To take all the little dirtiness that tried to creep in that week, or that day and cover them under Christs blood. We spend the week uncovered, with sin dropping down on us list tiny dust particles - not really noticeable until you realize on Sunday just how different you feel all "cleaned up" again.

The life we're called to live, a life where we have so much bounty in our Spiritual lives that we have enough mercy and truth for someone elses life - that kind of life takes every day of our lives. It doesn't come from being a Sunday Christian, or even a Sunday and Wednesday Christian. It comes from every day covering, walking, working under the redemption of Christs blood.

I know for myself, it's hard to live life not caught up with American Idol, CSI, the Mentalist, and the 18 books I randomly have checked out from the library. I've got a lot of things that I let distract me. All those things seem important, somehow valuable to my being able to relax and enjoy myself, to "unwind" from the end of a 10 hr day.

But what if, what if I actually spent all week returning to Christ and staying covered so that the sin particles couldn't catch me, couldn't sully me without me even realizing it had happened.
I bet I'd sleep better at night.

5 comments:

LeahGrace said...

I've been reading your "life under the microscope" posts and I must say - I agree with basically every word you've said. Especially the part about claiming victory in Christ! Wow! We talk about the power of God but never claim it for ourselves! What is WRONG with us?

Anyway...great thoughts:D

Flyawaynet said...

Thanks for dropping by iFiddle! I look forward to checking out your blog.

I think what's wrong with us isn't a lot of little things - just one BIG thing, a willingness to settle for mediocre.

And personally, I'd like to see the Christian world NOT be mediocre but more than that I'd like to see ME not be mediocre anymore. Ever again. Never again.

Daniele said...

You get bedbugs if you make your bed every morning. They really like the warmth and will lay their eggs where they nest.

David said...

Great thoughts - we are not going to be judged from the outside behavior, but from the inside. Our responses to life are a much better indicator of what's in the cup - especially when it gets knocked over. And what we do in private is probably a lot more important to God then our Sunday-Service-Face.

Flyawaynet said...

David - exactly true. I even imagine God gets tired of our Sunday faces when they change so drastically on Monday. God hates the luke-warm and we like to just pretend He only "wishes we'd do better".