Shiny clean with no streaks

"If You are willing, You can make me clean"

Mark 1:40

I washed my car today.  Which I hardly ever do.  Maybe once a year.  Maybe twice.

Hardly ever.

I just never think it's that important for my car to be perfectly clean.  It stays in the garage when I'm not driving it, so it gets some protection that way.  But if it gets dusty or whatever, I'll generally just clean the windows.  Don't get me wrong; I love my car.  It's cute and comfortable and fun to drive.  But what's important to me is that it gets me where I want to go, and it will do that whether it's dirty or clean.

So I was washing it, and thinking how beautiful it will look in the sunlight tomorrow, and then I thought, "well, it will look beautiful for a few days, anyway...."  Because it just doesn't take long for a car to stop looking clean.   Keeping it clean requires frequent attention.  Which I'm just not going to give it.  Because it's only going to get dirty again. 

But then I thought, that's the same argument my Amazing Boy used to use when he didn't want to take a bath.   And it's why some people don't make their beds. 

But really, is it a good argument?  Because all of a sudden, I thought, why does God bother forgiving me?  I'm just going to sin again.  What's the point in washing me white as snow, for what might only be a matter of minutes?

But yes, I choose clean.  Confession leads to forgiveness, and I want that, even though I know ~ and He knows ~ it's not going to last. 

But think about this:  Deuteronomy 13:18.  Whoops!  No, it's Deuteronomy 18:13.  Sorry.  I'm sure Deuteronomy 13:18 is good too.  Check it out.  But for purposes of this post, let's look at 18:13 ~ "You shall be blameless before the Lord you God."  That word "blameless" is tamiym and it means "complete, whole or healthy".  But it also conveys the idea of continual.  Anyone in Scripture who is described as "blameless" was not perfect, but they did not stay long in a position of sinfulness.  Being blameless means being frequently forgiven.  Which means frequent confession. 

Life is messy.  Clean gets dirty.  Get clean anyway. 

~ "Though your sins are as scarlet

they shall be as white as snow" ~

Psalm 51:7