RISE
Day Thirty-three – Today is day thirty-three. Today is the day when we do a second sweep. If you have ever swept a floor then you know that brooms are imperfect things. They don’t actually catch all the dirt or debris the first time through and usually require additions sweepings to get up all that yucky stuff that is just part of life and living. You have to go back. You have to look hard. You often have to stoop or change position…move some furniture…and let a little more light in to reveal the mess hiding in plain sight. Most of know this. Most of us know that if we don’t go back them we have missed something. Of course knowing is not enough. Admitting it is not enough. Again, we must go back and sweep.
Blue Bell ice cream just went through a huge recall of all its flavors nation wide after finding product contaminated with listeria, one of the few bacteria that can actually thrive in cold temperatures and causes horrible sickness, especially among the immunocompromised, elderly or young. We are now finding out that the company has known about the problem since 2013 and seemingly felt comfortable making their product and shipping it all over the country.
I am convinced that today…as you read this…you know very well the things that hold you back spiritually. You know what keeps you from making the genuine transformation. If you were compelled to go back and sweep your spiritual life no one would need to tell you where to go or, really, what to do. You know. So, why do you hang on to what a friend of mine called “pet sins and problems?” Why do we let them persist? Why do we turn the “blind eye?” We know it hurts us. We know HE knows.
Maybe it is pride. Maybe it is comfort. Who doesn’t like a cuddly pet to warm up to? All this is for you to figure out. It is your transformation. It is, whether you like it or not, your responsibility. I can’t sweep for you. Furthermore, compromise here just means you remain dirty. My kids want to compromise on the the chores…not sweep the whole floor or get under the furniture…take the trash out, but not put a liner back in the can. They are kids. They are learning.
Today is day thirty-three. Today is the day you learn how to sweep away the dirt that remains and move forward in faith.
