Installment:  #2, The Car wash, 01/10/02

    My car was absolutely filthy yesterday.  It's been that way for a few weeks now.  It's interesting how your car (and if you don't own a vehicle, think of someone else's) becomes progressively dirtier, but you don't really realize it.  And then you look at it one day and think, "well, how did that happen?"  That was the feeling I had a couple of days ago and was determined to get it washed.  So, because of the warm weather, today was the day.  After washing my car it looked brand new again!  Now I know that it's not brand new.  It still has some of the "battle wounds" that it has accumulated.  However, washed clean it feels new.
    I think that this is how it is with our hearts sometimes.  If we don't spend time in prayer every day confessing and "washing our hearts clean", our hearts will slowly harden and become filthy.  And then one day, we'll not know what happened, but realize the problem.  When you're talking about a car, it's not a big deal if it goes dirty for a couple of weeks.  Sure, some kids might scrawl "wash me" with their fingers on your windows, but there's no harm there.  If we let our hearts go for a few weeks, it's much more serious.  Our hearts are not our own.  They belong to the Father above.  We must care for them like a prized possession.  Let's go back to the car example.  If your father asked you to look after some amazing car, you wouldn't let it get dirty and risk it rusting at all.  No...you would wash it, wax it, clean it, and do everything in your power to return it to him in a similar condition to how he gave it to you.  We must do the same with our hearts.  We must guard our hearts from evil and daily go to the Father for help on "cleaning our hearts" and making us pure.
    If you don't know the Father in Heaven, but would like to discuss Him further, I'm always available.  He knows you and wants you to know Him more fully.
 

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