I had a picture at Church...

...and I didn't share it...

And now I am aggrieved with myself for not sharing it as if it was mine to withhold! Someone brought a word about scum in bath water and how this was a sign of the sin within us being washed away by Christ's living water...and at the same time as the guy was talking I had a picture pop into my head...

It was of a white surface, maybe tiles on a wall or a white table. This surface had muddy marks on it. There were two dishcloths nearby. A hand picked up the first dishcloth that looked a little grubby and tried to clean off the grubby marks to no avail. This dishcloth simply spread the dirt and left a bigger, albeit diluted, stain. The hand then disgarded the first dishcloth and picked up the second. This dishcloth was pure white, as if new. When this came into contact with the stains it simply digested them, enveloped them...the only visible change was that the bright cloth became a little dirtier...but no matter how dirty it became it still had the same effect on any stains it wiped up.

I felt the message was simple. The first cloth stood for the person that you rely on to sort your problems for you, or with you. For me that would be my mother. This person has the ability to spread the problem (dirt) over a wider area and dilute it so that we are able to see through it. But they are not able to clean it all away. This is because they have their problems and sin and this prevents them from wiping up our mess, because their dirt can have the added effect of making us dirtier, even if the intention is to clean.
The second cloth is Jesus. Pure, white, sinless Christ. With Jesus we can have our problems/sin/dirt wiped clean away. Jesus took our sin on the cross and so when we allow Jesus to wipe us clean we are infact, simply acknowledging all that He has ALREADY done for us. He can soak up ANY sin if we allow Him to - He does not taint, He does not smudge, He erases.

As I write this I feel that God may be talking directly to me on this matter. My main struggle currently is wishing that my mother could take away my pain and make everything better. I know in my heart that this is not the case but it hasn't stopped me wishing it. This illustration from God is a reminder that I should stop looking to my mother for answers that she is unable to give. And more to the point, advice from my mother on this matter would be tainted by her own experiences and feelings...so therefore, it wouldn't be that useful in the long run - a short term fix as it were. Only Jesus can advise me and wipe me clean - in fact, He already has...I just have to recieve that again I suppose.

Last week God reminded me not to look to my earthly fathers for protection and provision, this week He is telling me not to look to my earthly mother for guidance and support...for all of these things I should look to my heavenly Father...bit by bit God is breaking down my walls and misconceptions...makes you wonder what will be left. I suspect it will be nothing but God - which in turn, is EVERYTHING...