My grandmother Rebecca passed away last year. Although I miss her terribly, I am thankful for the many valuable lessons she taught me. One of them is quite simple: If you wake up feeling bad in the morning, get up, take a shower and put some clothes on. This basic ritual served her well during her challenging battle with cancer the final months of her life — even when she wasn’t able to actually bathe herself.
I often think about her advice when I wake up each morning. Taking a shower or bath is something we all (hopefully!) include as part of our daily routine, yet its benefits deliver much more than just making us clean.
King David cried out, “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou has broken may rejoice.” (Psalm 51: 2, 7-8)
The practice of cleaning oneself can provide restoration, purification, and even clarification. Some of my best ideas are conceived in the shower!
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) I pray this Lenten season that I may pause and reflect on the transformational benefits of the cleansing and renewal that only God can bring to my life. And despite the daily distractions and stresses that may compete for my attention, I can get up, take a shower and put some clothes on.
Justin B. Dean
Links to the appointed readings for today:
