Like Cleaning a Carpet

Having a baby around has been so much fun. Watching her learn new skill sets is a constant source of enjoyment and entertainment too! She is now at that age and stage, where she is trying to learn to crawl. We are excited about her development and really want her to learn and grow at her own rate. Of course, this does bring about some tasks of our own, which we need to accomplish in order to make things safe for her. We’ve begun the process of “baby proofing” to try and prevent her from getting hurt as she grows from a little baby completely dependent on us, into a growing, thriving and independent little person.

One of the tasks we’ve had to do is get our carpets cleaned. This is something we’ve been intending to do for a couple of years now. It’s also something that’s really easy to put off, since it’s not really convenient to do. However, with five animals and tons of dust (living in a desert area), it is essential that we do it. When I think of my sweet little baby crawling around on carpets that have been lived on and not cleaned for several years, well it makes my skin crawl. So when I put it into perspective, I find that moving furniture, locking up the animals for a day and staying off a wet, but clean, carpet for several hours is really not that inconvenient, and the alternative is not acceptable. I mean, our animals are really good and we are pretty clean, but life and mess (i.e. furball's) still happens.

When I scheduled the carpet cleaning, I was told to not be surprised if any spots or stains appeared the next day. If that happened, it just meant that the spot was lifting from the pad, to the surface of the carpet. In other words, even though the carpet was thoroughly cleaned and there didn’t appear to be any stain that remained, remnants of the old could resurface. That got me to thinking. It’s kind of like that with us too.

We come to Jesus dirty, dingy, worn and torn and He, by His incredible and amazing patience and grace, diligently works on us, cleaning and repairing us and making us look like new. In fact, he even calls us new. The Bible says in 2 Cor. 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” When He cleans us, by forgiving our sins, we are a new person with a new life and a clean slate! Praise God!

But similar to cleaning a carpet, even though we are clean and look good, that doesn’t mean that it’s finished. Sometimes there are spots and stains that are deep down, and it takes some time for them to rise to the surface. We may not even know they’re there. But as we go through life, and encounter the things of life, the dark, dirty and maybe even smelly spots that are buried deeply start to rise. We see that we’re not as clean as we thought. We are not yet blemish free. In fact, we may still be quite dirty.

It’s not that the Cleaner didn’t do a good job – He did. But it’s a process. Some things take longer to really come clean. Sometimes, just a dab, or a spot clean, will do you. Other times, a deeply penetrating stain remover is required, followed by an intense steam clean. And that takes a lot of work. But the good news is this. We have a Cleaner, who will do what it takes to get the job done. He will not give up on us. Nor will He ever say, “It’s useless, this is too damaged or not worth the trouble.” No, our Cleaner always patiently and lovingly, continues to work on us, because we are worth it. His shed blood at Calvary tells us so.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor. 3:18