In The Shower
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
“And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. But remember, says the Sovereign Lord, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done! Ezekiel 36:25-32
My father was a shower guy. Except for rare occasions when the bus would be extremely late and I would risk being late for school, he would never walk out of the house without taking a shower. He would say, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” as he taught me of the value of being clean before leaving out. I remembered that as I grew up, and as I got older, I started to realize the wisdom in what he was saying. I noticed that my overall mood was better afterward, and there was a bit of both clarity and energy that came with it. Of course, I noticed that even more when I had not started the day that way. It did not matter whether I had worked hard all day or barely broke a sweat. The day always ‘felt’ better when I had had my shower.
Does this mean one must shower or bathe to be close to God? Taking a shower does not necessarily make one closer to God. There is a lot of course that go into that. However, you might think of it more as a ritual where you focus on how Christ cleanses us from our sins. A song speaks of God’s grace falling like rain to wash away our sins. I think of showering sometimes and how my spirit is renewed. It is but a simple act and daily ritual. But in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul, when speaking of staying clean of sexual immorality said, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) If a morning shower can remind you of your body being a representation of God, I would say that’s a good start!
We should honor God in all we do even with the simple things. As I read the chapter of Ezekiel 36, I marveled at the restoration God promised the people of Israel. He did not promise them restoration because they were good people at the time. In fact, His primary purpose was twofold. First, it was to help them against their enemies, but second, it was to make them righteous vessels for others to know who the true living God was. This was not one fell swoop. It was a process, and the process began with the cleansing by water. Then the other parts of providing a new heart and spirit, good crops, and remembrance of who He is and who we are with Him came. These all sound great, but like all journeys, it had to start somewhere. God put an emphasis on being clean first. As we see ourselves in our faith walk, we might be in a good place and feel clean covered by the grace of God. Or, we might have been struggling in some capacity or another and need to feel showered by God’s love and cleansed from our past sins. The key is to remember that it is only through the power of Jesus Christ that we can ever be clean. Like a morning shower ritual, it is the first step that we can feel balanced and righteous.
Connection with God is not by accident or through occasionally, feeling. It is an intentional ritual that requires discipline and consistency. Even when it is difficult or there is so much coming our way to distract us, it is critical we find ways to make that connection to ensure our mind is on Him. It could be a consistent time for prayer or Bible reading, various activities through and outside church, or committing to moments of solitude where your focus is just on God. Through that, we can maintain our feelings of love, hope, strength, peace, and reliance on our true source. Let us ensure we find that connection whether it be morning, noon, or night. What ritual connection with God can you focus on more consistently? What act can you change to an opportunity to praise and connect with Him? My prayer is that we find the trivial things where God and we can connect even if it is in the shower. Amen.