Although many have not returned to the Rec Center in the midst of Covid-19, I decided the risk was worth it for me. The only exercise I was getting at home was bending the elbow to shovel the ice cream from the dish to the mouth. I was really settling into this “largely waistful” habit each evening and except for the fact that my clothes weren’t hanging right – as in not hanging at all – I was rather enjoying the break. But to my dismay, I had literally killed the adage “no pain, no gain.” I glared at my bathroom scale as it shouted numbers that proved otherwise.
This week as I sprayed down each machine with disinfectant, wiping away any bacteria I might have deposited and then tossing the rag away, an analogy formed in my mind. This is what God does when we repent of our sins – He wipes the sin away, leaving us with a clean heart to start again – just as if we never sinned in the first place. And get this – God not only wipes them away, He forgets them! I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Jeremiah 31:34. This is such good news because when we do our part (repent) God does his. God takes our blunders (no matter how bad they are) and heals and restores us. There is nothing I can do that is SOOO awful that God won’t forgive if I ask Him.
I believe God gives us plenty of ways to see his goodness in our every day lives if we look for it. I had wiped down these machines many times since joining the Rec Center several years ago, yet this week was the first time I had thought about it in this spiritual way. Whether it was God pointing it out to me or it was just a heightened awareness on my part, I’m not sure. What I do know is that it encouraged me and reminded me of God’s love and His grace. And that’s a reminder I’ll take however it comes!
Until next month, keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.