I love the feeling of accomplishment when every piece of my laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away. To be clear, this isn’t very often. But when it happens, I sense relief. It’s like I’m on top of things and it’s not getting away from me. To my dismay, I walk into the laundry room the very next morning, and there it is again! The hamper is filled with towels, work clothes, hiking clothes etc. Oh well. I tried. It was at least done for about twelve hours. Laundry, like us as humans, is a never ending process. The work will keep going until we literally exit this world. 

God has His work cut out for Him with us. Human beings are a never ending pile of laundry that always needs His cleaning. But He looks forward to the final outcome so it’s not a chore for Him. He wants to clean us up. He gets us to a place where one “situation” is finally making sense and then another pops up immediately. One question is answered and then something else gets our mind spinning! One bad habit is broken and on to another. We, as His church, are a constant work in progress. “He (Christ) gave up his life for her (the church) to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

This is an ongoing, never ending washing. If there’s a need to wash something, there’s the declaration that it’s stained to begin with. We’ve all got personal “stains”. We have to admit this and submit it to the Lord. The washing instructions for you aren’t necessarily the washing instructions for me and vice versa. God handles each case individually. But the same, never failing detergent is applied to each of us. He gets us cleaned up by the cleansing of His Word. His truth purges our very souls of the lies we’ve bought into. 

This world has a way of beating us down. The feelings of inadequacy. The striving for more “whatever” so you feel like you measure up. We try to please others that can’t seem to be pleased. Jesus, with His loving concern, cleans us up from the inside out. This is counterintuitive to the way the world operates. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬) People tend to  look at the outside first. God works with our inside until the effects start showing on the outside. When people have spent time with Jesus, their whole countenance changes. Your eyes are brighter. Your smile is genuine. There’s a spring in your step. Pretty soon you’ve got your focus on The One who actually matters and He’s cheering you on!

Remember also that it is Jesus Himself who cleans people up. We’re all on our individual journeys. He’s working to clean something up in me that you may not even deal with. He may be trying to get “stains” out of your heart that I don’t have. We need to be supportive of one another. “How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬) We are not qualified to fix people. That is not our job. We are all in need of fixing. We are to love one another knowing that we’re all flawed. There is only One who is able to clean us up and justify us to stand before a Holy God one day. He pours His grace out on us every day. “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬) Only He knows the washing instructions for a sin stained world.

Today’s writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.