How clean is clean?

 Have mercy on me, O God, 

   according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion 

   blot out my transgressions. 

Wash away all my iniquity 

   and cleanse me from my sin.

-- Psalm 51:1-2

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

   Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 

--John 13:8

I worked in my yard the last couple of days, definitely not on my Top Ten Favorite Things list. I just don't enjoy yanking weeds and things like that. 

And my grass had gotten really tall, given the spurts of spring weather we've had. Mowing with my reel mower left me aching and tired. And a little bit muddy.

When I came inside, I washed my hands, got off the obvious mud, but realized over the next few hours that I had been "blessed" by a pollen attack on my eyes and nose. It wasn't anything visible that I could see, but my, oh, my, the havoc it sought to wreak on my sinuses and my itchy, itchy eyes!

I wonder how often we hide our eyes from that which may not be readily apparent, but is just as dangerous as those low-hanging branches or cracks in the sidewalk we worry about.

Of course Peter, after refusing to allow Jesus to wash his feet, kind of went overboard on the whole thing. In the next verses, he insists Jesus wash "Not just my feet, but my hands and my head!"

Jesus reminds him that only his feet are dirty. He already had a bath.

So, too, are we cleansed from our sin when we accept Jesus and are baptized in faith. And so, too, do we still get ourselves a little bit dirty every day.

And every day, Jesus willingly humbles himself and offers to take the dirt for us, if we allow. 

That's key. Admitting there is dirt in our eyes. Allowing Jesus to gently lift it out. Not needing a whole dunking (or sprinkling) again, simply a localized repentance and allowing.

It is always, all about God where repentance and cleansing are involved. Nothing we can do is ever enough. So we need to allow God to take away the ick, the pain, the regret. We need to allow God into those painful spots and let him heal us. 

Visine for the soul. Allegra for the spirit. A Band-Aid for a long-ago owie. 

Unless, of course, we prefer to let it remain infected and challenging to our appreciation of the present moment.

Lord, like cool water on our tired feet, we come seeking your comfort. Help us to remember we cannot do anything apart from you. Help us learn to depend on your healing Spirit. Amen.