Bathroom Theology

I spend a couple hours each evening doing janitorial work. It gives me an opportunity to think about many things, and even get lost in deep thought. While cleaning the bathrooms I started thinking about theology in practical terms. Just as I remove stains from toilets, Jesus removes the stains of my sin.

The bathroom is a great illustration of the condition of man. We have all made messes in our lives, most of which we would be ashamed of anyone seeing. Some of us make bigger messes than others, but nothing is too bad for Jesus to clean.

Then I thought about the restrooms that appear clean. It is my janitorial responsibility to clean them as well. I wipe down every surface with Lysol wipes. I clean the toilet bowl. I clean the mirrors and shine the sink faucets, removing the smudges left behind by fingers.

Again, that is like our need to be cleansed. Some of us may look clean. It is the unseen things that often cause sickness and death.

No one is too dirty for Jesus to clean. No one is so clean that they do not need Jesus to disinfect.

He cleans our obvious messes, but also takes away the hidden sins. His Word cleans the mirror, allowing us to see ourselves better. He wipes the smudged left behind by our hands…sometimes we leave a smudge on everything we touch.

The method that he uses for the hardest stains, must be similar to those used by any custodian. I apply the toilet bowl cleaner and let it soak in before I scrub. The word of God works like that, sometimes we have to let it soak in and loosen all the grime from our dirty souls.

Why don’t we, as Christians try to do that as well? Don’t start out with abrasive scrubbing. Be patient and allow God’s word and the Holy Spirit’s conviction set in.

Remember, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cleanse all who believe. He will cleans us from the nastiest stains and leave us white as porcelain.

Feline Theology

(We can learn a lot about ourselves by observing nature around us)

She was born in captivity. She has never known life outside the walls of our home. I see her sometimes, her ears turn toward a sound unheard by human ears. Her tail twitches and she gets a wild look in her eyes. Her animal nature, her innate tendencies rise above domestication.

She often jumps in the window sill and makes a clicking sound, mimicking the birds outside. I think I have even seen her drool while gazing at a robin on the fence. She wants to hunt. She longs for a world that she has never known. Out the bedroom window, she only gets a glimpse of the world she was created for. Her nature does not lie or deceive.

Oh, Flower-Lilly, how similar we are. Created for eternity, I live within the confines of a fallen world. The curtain moves and I catch glimpses of eternity. The door cracks and I see the light outside the confines of this small place. We were meant to live for more than this.

She longs to hunt in the wild, but she would not survive. The world out there is harsh. She doesn’t understand the boundaries that I have imposed.

I don’t understand the walls that hold me in. Why long for something that cannot be attained? Eternity was set on man’s heart. I, too, gaze out the window and yearn for that for which I was created.