The Full-Body – Immaculate -- Inside and Out Cleaning

It’s Sunday morning. My first thoughts are of misdeeds I did long, long ago. "WHAT? Lord, why am I thinking those thoughts? I know when I ask for forgiveness from my faltering and failings – You forgive me, instantly. So why am I going back to my childhood this morning?" I thought those times were long past. But, then I realize that maybe, just maybe, I never consciously asked God for forgiveness of some specific times when I was just a kid. But today I did ask.

I remembered my next-door neighbor (and 2nd grade friend) was home by herself a lot. We played lots of games but I recall her showing me money she had taken from her mom’s and dad’s bedroom. She said, “They’ll never notice it. Let’s go to the store!” The store was just a couple of blocks away. I was excited because she was going to share her loot with me. The loot was just candy, but still, it was stolen goods. I remember the next time at her house, we did it again. I was her accomplice.

I know when I asked Jesus into my heart when I was just eight years old and asked for forgiveness of my sins – I was completely and wholly made clean. He threw all of those sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness. (Micah 7:19) But, I don’t think I ever specifically asked forgiveness for the things I had forgotten about. Apparently, I needed to. But, more than dredging up the past, I think God was reminding me how my personal value system developed over the years. Now, I don't even accept more change than I should be given from a cashier.

Nevertheless, maybe, it’s this “aloneness” during this isolation period with less distractions that has me in this “coming clean” mode. Yesterday, my blog was about “clean hands AND a pure heart”. It seems God has me in His complete sanitizing wash today. I sense Him nudging me to pray the “Litany of Humility”. I pull it out and I pray it. I am asking Him to cure me from way more than my childhood mistakes. I'm asking for even my desires and thoughts to come clean, too. My car wash has levels of washes I can buy – the basic and the full-body, then the extras for tires and wax and then the full deal -- inside and out cleaning. I ask Him for that today as I read and pray this Litany of Humility prayer which covers all my desires to be more like Jesus. Just in case you’d like the full-wash-deal today, I offer this prayer image for you to “come clean” too!

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
"O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ!"

Mr. Tangles Will Untangle Your Tangled Messes

Mr. Tangles Will Untangle Your Tangled Messes
I enjoyed listening to two DJ's bantering on the radio as I drove home from Dallas yesterday. One of the DJs said he was creating a character to go along with the "Mr. Tangles" store he wants to open. The character would be Mr. Tangles and the store would have a drive-thru window where you'd give them your tangled messes, like a phone cord, a fishing line, a tangled necklace, or a tangled rope. In a short few minutes,you'd pick up your untangled item.. Genius. Okay, he was kidding, but it was an amusing and comical verbal exchange.

Immediately, I had the visual of tangled messes we get our lives into. Remember the quote, "Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive". That quote refers to how complicated life becomes when people start lying. It originally referred to a love triangle in the play “Marmion” by Sir Walter Scott.

Lying, deceiving, inappropriate conduct, gossiping, stealing, unforgiveness -- all those traits that perpetuate dishonesty, misunderstandings and mistrust.

A couple of days ago I heard that some of the American Olympic swimmers had been held at gunpoint and had their money and Olympic passes stolen. Yesterday, the story was very different. It was revealed that the swimmers had fabricated their account of the episode. Now that "tangled web" is all over the news and has spiraled into a nasty legal case testing the relations between Brazil and the U.S. The police said that they believed that the swimmers had “stained” Rio by lying about what happened. What a shame!

Oh, the tangled messes we can get ourselves into -- no matter what we said or did in the smallest way or in serious illegal ways.

Oh that we become people of honor and integrity, but the truth of the matter, when we falter, make mistakes, intentionally and unintentionally, we can continue to weave that web, or we can go to God, our Mr. UNTANGLES and let Him help us untangle our messes. Going to God for His forgiveness and for His wisdom on how best to make the wrongs right is surely the way to turn situations around. It's not easy saying "I was wrong. I'm so sorry." But, I assure you, the minute we admit our mistakes, God will go to work on our behalf.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."