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
Today is garbage day. After Sunday this is one of my favorite days. In my community garbage is picked up on Mondays which is so convenient after the weekend. If you were able to peek in on my life on Mondays, you would find me gathering all the garbage around the house that I can find. I visit each of the bathrooms and empty their small garbage cans. I also search through the refrigerator to examine the plastic containers to see if anything is not edible anymore. You know the ones hiding behind the milk on the lowest shelf in the back that we tend to forget are there! I move quickly through the basement and garage to find any leftover wrappers of newly opened items. After breakfast (which of course is the last portion of cereal in the cereal box), I toss all the crumbs and remains in the plastic bag I have been carrying around all morning. At last, the plastic bag is full, and I slip on my shoes to run to the end of the driveway where my husband has already put the garbage can. In goes the rest of the trash collected that morning. The walk up the driveway is always exhilarating! Why? It is because I have just emptied my house of one more bag of debris and junk. Usually, I feel lighter than air because I am walking into a home that is cleaner, fresher, and emptier than it was a few moments ago.
It is similar to the feeling I have when I spend time in prayer especially my times of true confession to God. It seems that when I confess to the Lord the accumulated sins in my life, I immediately feel fresh and clean like my house on garbage day. Sometimes my failures stand out like a piece of litter on my grass. Other times I need to do an honest search to find the offensive ways lingering in the corners of my heart just like the crumbs hidden under my kitchen table. Unlike the garbage man who is only able to pick up my trash once a week, our forgiving Father is always ready and waiting to forgive our transgressions. Sinful habits such as impatience, pride, stubbornness, and worry give us impure hearts. Praise God we do not have to wait to experience His cleansing power of forgiveness! We can have pure hearts when we make every day a garbage day!
Forgiving Father, create in me a clean heart. Amen.