Taking a shower

John 13:8b: " Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."



I got up late today. I must have turned the volume down too low on the radio, and I sailed right past the alarm by about 20 minutes. When I got up, I thought about my morning and decided to postpone taking a shower til I got back from taking the bug hunter to school. I put on just enough makeup to keep from mortally frightening any small children who might see me through the van window, and I told the boy that he would be flung out of the van through the carline. No walking him in this morning to give him a kiss at the stairs (and the fact that he will still DO that is why I do it!). No meandering through the halls of the school to greet my favorite faculty and staff members. No stopping at the grocery on the way home, either. I felt dirty, and disheveled, and uncomfortable. And I really didn't want to be around anyone until I got clean. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw the scene in the pictures above, and my first thought was "WHY are we running the sprinklers when it's 15 degrees outside?" My second thought was "Oh NO.. there goes my shower!" I ran into the house and found my handsome hubby in the bathroom. It was apparent that he had showered and shaved and was putting the finishing touches on his morning grooming. "I think the water pipe's busted again", I said ("again" because this is the third time, and I am, therefore, an expert at assessing this situation, which in the past has meant NO water immediately). "Huh?" came his brilliant response. "The water's still on", and he proceeded to turn on the tap to prove his point. We came to the agreement that the line must be leaking but not yet fully broken. And with that came the realization that I could still slip into the shower, before the plumber came and shut off the water. Oh, happy day.. I could get clean!
As I showered, I thought about my life. About how I grew up in the church, and then I ran as far away from it as I could through my 20's and most of my 30's. About how my dad was hit by a car and killed instantly; but he knew Jesus, and we know where he is. And about how that warning, combined with the birth of my son, caused me to realize that I had a big, empty spot that I needed to fill back up. And to realize that I was dirty, and I needed a shower, before it was too late. Some folks, like my dad, are clean when the unexpected happens. They're ready, even if there's no warning. Others, like me, oversleep. We let things get in the way of getting cleaned up, and sometimes, the pipe just snaps and there's no time. But praise God, I got a warning (or twenty), and I finally realized that I needed to hit the shower before it was too late. I had been uncomfortable in my skin for too long, and I needed the blood of Jesus to wash me clean. I will be eternally grateful that, in my case, the line was just cracked so that I could see the damage. But what about people in my life that I love that are still unwashed? What if I don't tell them before it's too late? What if THEIR line snaps without a warning? I think Mark Hall says it pretty well in this video. Speak the truth.. while you have the chance.