My grandson is movin’ on toward
maturity! So I’m using up his WATERMELON SMILE Moisturizing Body
Wash in my shower these days.
It’s labeled “For KIDS” and is in
a brilliant green and chartreuse plastic bottle with Sponge Bob
pictured on the front. All this is meant to make clean-up attractive
to children. The stuff is sweet scented, almost smells like bubble
gum. But I guess I can endure that. I don’t want to waste it. It’s
leftover from when my grandson used it.
When my now fourteen year old grandson
Jeffrey visits, he uses “SPORT” shower gel with the label
shouting “Mean and Clean.” It’s in a jet black plastic
easy-grip bottle with a battleship gray and silver top. The matching
soap is also battleship gray and certainly strongly scented for manly
noses.
Seems like only yesterday Jeffrey was
eager to plunge into grandma’s whirlpool bathtub and fill it with
purple HAWAIIAN BLAST foaming bubble bath and disappear in its depths
to pretend he was Jaws.
Saint Paul described the normal and
expected maturing process with a spiritual spin. “When I was a
child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a
child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” (1
Cor. 13:11) My grandson still has a ways to go to reach full manhood,
but he is definitely on the way. How he cleans up is a symbol of his
progress.
We anticipate children to act like
children so our expectations are proportionate. We know that we will
have to remind children repeatedly to wash up. There seems to be a
natural avoidance to soap and water! Supervision seems to go on
forever before they finally take over with their own motivation.
Spiritually we should grow up in relation to personal cleansing which
is the holiness to which God draws us. When we do soil our spirits,
we need to know how to get rid of sin’s contamination and stench
through confession, repentance, and the beautiful and efficacious
channels the Church provides for our reconciliation.
It’s no longer necessary to plead
with and nag this into-his-teens young man to wash up. He gladly
heads for the shower, especially after sports workouts. Big time
progress! Then the problem becomes long, long showers! “You're
going to use up all the hot water, Jeffrey!” May all of God’s
growing children of whatever age follow suit. It takes light to
reveal our spiritual spots and blemishes. Let's be quick to clean up
and walk in the Light as Jesus provides it.
Saint Paul reveals his heart with his
instruction in 2 Corinthians 7:1, “Therefore, having these
promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This is
expanded by Saint John in his first epistle, chapter one, verses
seven through nine: “…the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from
all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.”
Some of us who are more mature in
years and in the Christian faith might do well to continue using that
spiritual WATERMELON SMILE Moisturizing Wash if we are still behaving
in a childish manner. With the wisdom of our many years, God expects
us to be examples of believers and live godly in Christ Jesus. That
means to grow up in all ways unto the Lord.
No excuse slips issued to
those of us in advanced years!
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