Everyone told me to be sure to notice those little things that really impact you upon arriving in a new place because after a while I might not pay them much attention. In India the horns were the main thing that stuck with me. Here it is the dust, and honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to ignore it or forget about it. My feet stay dirty. I brought one of those nifty foot scrubbing brushes with 4 different scrubbing surfaces, including a pumice stone. So after a few days of soap not really doing the job I expected, I worked for about 20 minutes with "the brush." I scrubbed, pumiced, and polished, but when I got back to my room to observe the results, I realized that there were still cracks (in fact a lot of them) that had refused to let go of the dust.
So what is He teaching me through the dust? Well, many things actually, so I'm going to take this in pieces.
Part #1:
It's amazing that I'm noticing dust because those who know me well, know that I'm usually not a clean freak. In fact, I hate dusting. But this isn't the same kind of dust. This is REAL dust. It's too fine to be sand or dirt. Someone said that they read that it was over 70% fecal matter. How nasty is that! And it NEVER goes away. You can wipe off a shelf and within 2 minutes, it's dusty again. All of this "dirtiness" is being made so clear to me at the same time that my "Book" study is focusing on purity.
The dust is a HUGE reminder to me of my impurity and the impossibility for me to ever "clean" myself spiritually. I can scrub and polish, but it really doesn't do any good. The only way to get rid of the dirty feet would to be able to get rid of the dust itself. I know that I can't get rid of the "dust" in my life. I realize each and every day that my actions and attitudes are often anything but pure. However, I know the One who CAN do away with the dust. I have to depend on His purity, not mine, for truthfully, I have none.
Sometimes I convince myself that because I can never make myself "pure" that I don't really want to be pure. I think of someone who is pure as living a stuffy, no fun, "holier-than-thou" life. I see it as a competition, like "Whoever is the purest will win more of God's love," and if I don't think I can (or want) to win, then I don't even play the game. However, at group last week, I watched a young girl who was living a very simple life with here parents over here. She didn't have flashy clothes, toys, or hair. In fact, she, like the rest of us, was dusty from the walk to the group, but her smile revealed a purity greater than the dust on her feet, hands, and face. THAT is the type of purity I want.
5 comments:
Ahh, dust. It's very interesting that you mention dust b/c just yesterday with my new allergy test, I was told to encase my pillow and mattress to keep out the dust. Needless to say, if I lived there, there is a good possibility that I wouldn't make it long at all. That is some serious dust, indeed.
What a great analogy, too. As much as we try to scrub out the dust that's so visible, we still can't do it on our own. We must have help from the great cleaner. I've never thought of him that way, but it is a great analogy indeed.
May you be more dust-free on the inside than you are on the outside these days.
Jen
I miss you.
thank you for sharing because i get to learn along with you. i await the next pieces of your thoughts.
liz k
Oh, Honey! Your feet looked like that when you were 3 and 4 years old when you'd played in the backyard barefoot all day. A bath with wash cloth and soap would take care of it however.
I'm curious to know if there is dust when the snow is on the ground in winter. How very pure the "whiteness" of snow, and what a promise that with his "washing" we are whiter than snow.
"Pure", interesting . . . Webster says,"unmixed with any other matter". Much love,
vickpicks
What a Great Learning! You're lesson reminded me of the investment commercials "what can diving teach you about investing" etc. etc. etc. Also your comment on the competition to be pure as if it would win more of His love reminded me of the song that asks the question what if I passed every test, would He Love me more and then conversely asks What if I failed every test...then would He love me less? That's the Beauty of His Love...It's Constant. Love so Amazing, so Divine demands my heart my soul my all.
-Allen
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