The Big Clean

It’s that time of year again. Daffodils, longer days – and spring cleaning. With a wonderfully higher sun in the sky nowadays, each bright day lifts our spirits - although the downside is what more light reveals. Windows, which we thought were ok are suddenly, and so obviously, smeared and dirty. Dark corners, loved by unwanted but harmless houseguests of the arachnoid species, hide winter’s leftover dust. Action is needed. The deep clean.

“Cleanliness is next to godliness,” I was often told as a youngster. I never did understand quite what that meant! Looking after the things on the exterior of our lives, such as the garage, our rooms, our bike or car, and having a good ‘sort out’ and clean-up, is no bad thing. I should do it more often, I confess! But what about that area that no-one else sees, except God - our inner most being. We cannot hide our sin; it must be dealt with. Maybe our eyes, the windows of our soul, are not clean? Are we always careful what we look at? You get the idea. 

The reality is that the God who made us, knows what we are like, what we have done and thought. Sin is serious and cuts us off from being close to Him. But God loves us so much He gives us a way to bring us back into closeness with Him. God sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the price once and for all for our wrongdoing - all of it - so that we might be free and clean within. Long ago, G. Jackson of the Salvation Army wrote  this simple chorus which has been prayed by many down through the years. 

‘I want dear Lord, a heart that’s true and clean;

A sunlit heart, with not a cloud between.

A heart like Thine, a love divine,

A heart as white as snow;

On me dear Lord, a heart like this bestow.’