Monday, April 18, 2011

Washing To Remove Dirt

I know that it has been a while since you all have heard from me, but I wanted to share with you today. 
I am in school and have not been able to blog as much as I would like to, but I am still here in the background. 
As I looked back at some of Amy and Robbie's Israel pictures I came upon this one and was reminded of some things that God shared with me through a time of fasting and seeking Him. 

What water are we drinking?  Where are we getting it from?  Is it filling us?  What well are we drinking from? 
God can be the water for our soul.  If we drink from Him, we are filled. 
His water will fill us, wash us, and change us. 
I was putting a load of clothes in the washing machine and as I put them in, I felt that God was using the whole washing process to speak to me. 
These were some of the thoughts that came to me...
we can put the clothes in the washing machine and they will stay dirty UNTIL we do something...
if we put the soap on them, it will just sit there UNTIL we do something...
we can turn on the water and not put any soap in and yes, they may get "washed" but will all of the dirt come out?  Not UNTIL we do something.  
We must TURN IT ON.
The washing process is just that...a process. 
We must take the clothes, put the soap in the water, let the clothes soak, spin, drain, be rinsed, spin some more, and in the end come out cleaner than they were when we put them in.
I was at a "washing machine process" time in my life.  I needed for God to pour into me, and then I needed to soak in His presence for a while so that the stains that were deep down could be cleansed and removed.  There are times that we are pulled and yanked around, and God will allow certain things to occur during certain times in our walk to help strengthen us.  "God only gives you what he knows you can handle. So if life seems hard, remember that God knows you are strong enough to get through it." I heard this catch on that phrase that we seem to use so often and I loved it. God does know what we can get through. He knows how much He can allow in our lives before we blow. And He knows already how we will respond.


We are not meant to stay the same...we are to change to become more like Him.  I asked God during this time to cleanse me, to wash me with His water, to pour into me and to let me soak for awhile.  To get all of the stains out, stains that needed to go through the "agitation process" to be removed.  And it wasn't all comfortable.  BUT when I was done, or should I say, WHEN I am done (because I want to constantly be in the washing process with Him...allowing Him to reveal things that need to be removed and then going through the process of removing them) I will come out clean...whiter than snow.
Let's ask Him to put us in the washing machine, dirt and all, stains and filth, and bring to the surface the things that need to be removed, and then ask Him to reveal how to get these things out...some of us need the bleach to get some of the stains out and THAT IS OKAY...God can cleanse us, He can reveal the dirt and remove it and make you spotless. 
Don't you love what starch white feels and looks like?  We may never truly be starch white, but we could strive to be and that is what changes us.


I have missed blogging and sharing with you all.  May God continue to show up on this blog and through it spark new ideas, new life, and new growth in all of us. 


God bless you all...


Jennifer