Careful Washing

The afternoon sunlight, growing hotter each day, streams through the window over the sink. The pile of plates and cups is not large, but demands attention. Inattention brings ants.

One by one, soil removed, the stack shifts from right to left: hot water and soap and hands doing their work. Time passes. The water cools. Soapy bubbles disappear. But one plastic box, greasy from Monday's vegetable curry leftovers, awaits. No lukewarm water nor tired suds will be enough.

I add a bit of soap to the sponge, coax some hot water from the faucet, and scrub the offending box. Careful attention to the corners, the edges: wherever the yellow grease wants to cling. That is what it takes to clean a greasy plastic box: soap, hot water, and attention to the details.

Where are the dirty corners in my life: the ones needing extra attention? I know they are there. The ones that I'd rather stuff under the sink or hide deep in my heart. But He longs to give them extra attention, to flood the dirty corners with the hot water of his truth, to cleanse them with the detergent of his Word.

May I let you attend to the greasy boxes of my life.