Mud

A couple of days ago Lar and Riah wanted to play in the sprinkler, so out we went. Before long, the girls found it to be much more fun to make mud. They played and played and had the best time. I personally found it to be pretty gross, but hey, it's just a little mud right? After a while we had to turn the water off. I told them they could still play in it and we would just do a final rinse before we went in.

While I was watching them play and be completely entertained, I felt the Lord show me a neat parallel. All they were playing with was dirt, but they were having such a great time. They made recipes, and doll beds, covered their feet, covered each other and on and on, and anytime it got to be too much, they just rinsed it off.

Here is what I saw. They just rinsed off. Their identity was not challenged because they were covered in mud. Their security wasn't destroyed because they were covered in mud. Their self worth was not brought down because they were covered in mud. My approval of them was not in question because they were covered in mud. Nothing about who they were was changed because they were covered in mud. Why? Because they just rinsed off.

The scriptures refer to it's self as water that washes us clean (Eph 5). And in life we are going to get some mud on us. Sometimes willingly and sometimes not so willingly. There are so many things that the mud could be a parallel to - you pick. But here's the point; when ever it gets to be too much, all we have to do is rinse off.

When we wash ourselves in the Word, the mud that we think defines us comes right off. When we wash ourselves in the Word, the mud that someone else is trying to stick on us comes right off. When we wash ourselves in the Word, we realize our home is not in the mud. When we wash ourselves in the Word, we realize who we are in Christ.

And like Lar and Riah, when the water is not flowing and the mud starts to dry out and stick, it's not quite as fun. So, turn the water of the Word on today and rinse off. Who knows, you might even enjoy the mud that way!