When You Need a Little Polishing

AAAHH - Monday! If my house could talk on Monday it would scream "CLEAN ME"!! Weekends are a time usually when family is home and cleaning ranks low on the priority list.

This morning, I was at my sink at looked down...yuck! Dingy, stained and ugly! We recently moved after 25 years and although I never thought much about the subject of 'sinks', it now demands attention. My old sink was stainless steel - durable, low maintenance and forgiving. My new sink is white and porcelain. It is absolutely beautiful! I fell in love with it immediately. Then after a few weeks, realized that its beauty must be mainlined. I did my best by wiping, scrubbing and even bleaching it. A dull gray color emerged and no amount of cleaning would rid it. I thought it was ruined! Doing some online research, I found the secret - Bar Keepers Friend. This product is a powdered cleaning has been produced since 1882. Unlike similar abrasive cleaning products, Bar Keepers Friend uses oxalic acid as its active ingredient.

Sprinkling the powder on and rubbing - no harsh scrubbing needed, the ugly gray stain was transformed into the bright, brilliant white once again!!! The oxalic acid worked to eat away the stain and polish the porcelain to release a beautiful shine while putting a protective barrier on it.

Sometimes, in my Christian walk, I feel like I have a dull, gray stain on my life. Although I am a forgiven Christian, sin still pops up in my life. Christians battle the 'old nature of sin' and will until Jesus comes back, we're not perfect yet! Some of the remedies I on my own apply to my life, don't bring about the sparkle of purity. Wiping up my attitudes, scrubbing or determining to do better on my own, doesn't work. It is only when I acknowledge my sin, failures and weakness to God that He scrubs me clean to the core! Like that oxalic acid, he breaks through the dulling effect of sin and reveals the shine that He created for me. (Ephesians 3:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.) He polishes me to reflect Him and His glory and protects me by placing the Holy Spirit in my heart to guide and lead me.

If your spiritual life feels like your home's "Monday", what a blessing to know we can run to our Lord for that thorough scrubbing that brings out His shine in our life!

I'm linking up today with Moms the Word as we encourage one another to "Make Our Home Sing".

Comments

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress. When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.

Joyfull Living

Search This Blog