In a hurry to get the washing started before running to town Tina impulsively decided to add bleach to the load of white bath towels — now a shade of faint pink — so she grabbed the jug, measured out a cup and poured it into the dispenser on the washing machine. The detergent in, the right buttons pushed, and Tina was off like a flash.
The reason for the rosy hued items was her fault in the first place. Her husband, Dan’s new white socks with bright red stripe on the top had tinted the towels and washcloths.
Back from town a couple of hours later, she was stuffing the wet towels into the dryer, and noticed they didn’t look any better. “Maybe I should have added more bleach?” Again she reached for the jug on the shelf. The first thing on the label that caught her eye was a recipe for pickles.
Turning the bottle around she saw to her chagrin she’d used vinegar instead of bleach. There’s nothing like using the wrong product to give the wrong results.
Something similar happens in our busy lives when we grab for what we think will do the job, and it fails us.
Many people see the word, “spirituality” and grab that. Or, they see the word, “religion” and think it’s the real thing.
Many people see the word, “spirituality” and grab that. Or, they see the word, “religion” and think it’s the real thing.
Let’s slow down and take a closer look.
We need to read the directions for Life and observe what kind of results others are getting. There are a lot of counterfeits in the world.
There’s more at stake than just dingy laundry here. One of these days we’ll take our last breath here and wake up somewhere else. Heaven or Hell awaits every one of us. God wants us to know now, for sure, that we have eternal life in Heaven with Him. He made the Way, and Jesus is that Way.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”
Isaiah 1:18
“…Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Psalm 51:7
Who wouldn’t want a heart that is clean from every impurity of thought, word and deed? The Bible says it is possible.
You may be a very nice person with great motives and a kind heart. But you can’t earn your way into Heaven. If you could, then why would God have allowed Jesus to suffer and die as the sacrifice for sin? Receive Jesus as Savior; make no mistake in what you choose.
Next time you shove clothes into your washing machine remember the lesson Tina learned. Dingy is not as good as brand-new, clean and white.
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By Elaine Hardt ©2002
