Dirty hands

You ever have one of those "Aha!" moments while you're sitting there in church, or listening to a sermon on the radio or in a Bible study? I LOVE those. I love that after 24 years of reading the Bible, walking the Christian life, and after two-plus years of total immmersion studying the Bible in College... I love that it's still fresh and new. I love that there are even moments where some little in depth tidbit surprises me and amazes me.

Yesterday, I had two of those moments, maybe more. It was just one of those days. God seemed to be speaking right to me. So here's an illustration that I want to share with you. See if it touches you the way it touched me...

"...My 3 year old son loves to fingerpaint. Nothing is better than fingerpainting in his whole world. The other day, I came home from work and there he was, at his little table, pots of primary colors close at hand. In his hands he had more fingerpaint than any child should be allowed to have; in one hand a big glob of blue, in the other, a big glob of yellow. At that precise moment, he thought it would be a good idea to clap his hands.... a LOT!! Green paint went flying everywhere.... I said, "What were you thinking? Even your face has paint on it." To this, his son reached up with his paint covered right hand and tried to wipe his face clean...."

Pastor went on to ask, (as do I) how much is this like us, as we stand before a holy God, trying to clean ourselves up for Him? We see a small spot on our face, and try to clean it up with dirty hands, but all we really succeed in doing is smearing it.

While his son wasn't able to clean himself, what he needed was someone who was already clean to come alongside of him and help him. This loving father did exactly that, and in the process he found that some of his son's paint ended up on himself. How much is this a picture of Jesus who comes alongside of us in our sin, cleans us up by taking our sin upon himself?

I sat there, thinking of my four year old's winter boots and spring shoes. I can't think of anything more gross that I have to do as a mom than remove my son's muddy, sandy dirty, wet shoes after he's been out playing in the yard. I really cringe everytime I have to touch them, especially if I have to help him get them back on after a potty break!! Inevitably all the crud ends up on me, my hands, my clothes... UCK!! And here I was... all clean....

I doubt I'll ever be able to handle that job or see fingerpaints without thinking of all that Jesus has done.