Clean - Dirty - Clean Again

I took some time on Friday to give our dog a bath. Our dog takes baths in the laundry tub and although his body fits comfortably into it, there is never any doubt that I too will get soaked. But, whenever Tucker (the dog) gets washed, it becomes a family event as all we all love to see him wet and then do the shake once he gets out. I love nothing more than to see my dog's white actually white and his fur soft to the touch.

So... on Saturday morning when I opened the door and he decided to take his bi-monthly trip into the corn field, I wasn't to pleased. In fact, I really shouldn't call it a corn field as currently it looks more like a mud field. My first thought was, "stay calm... it's just his feet that are muddy...it won't take long to clean him." But, as I walked towards him and called out his name, he flopped to his back and did a roll in the mud. My dog had remained clean for a total of 18 hours and now needed another bath.

As I was washing him, the following thought did cross my mind. I wondered if the emotions I was feeling were similar to what my Father in heaven feels when I sin. The Bible tells me that my Father is faithful and just to forgive me of my sins when I confess them before Him. (1 John 1:9) On a daily basis I go to my Father in heaven and in essence say "I got dirty again with sin, clean me up." For a few moments, I was lost in the truth that our God is such a patient, faithful and gracious Father. If my dog did what he did every day, I wouldn't have the patience or the desire to clean him every day. He'd be gone! Praise God that He is long suffering and daily cleanses me when I confess my sin after rolling around in the muck and mire of it.

That silly dog once again reminded me of a wonderful truth about my Father in heaven but also challenged me to abide in the vine so as to walk the walk of righteousness. For those of us who have trusted Christ as our Savior, we've been made clean in Christ our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 3:4-7). With that in mind, let's work towards not rolling around in the muddy cornfields of life.