It never failed, whenever we went to town, as we called it, which usually consisted K-Mart and the grocery store, as soon as I climbed out of the two-door, sky blue, Pinto station wagon, Mom would give us the once over, and then here. it. came.
The thumb bath.
She'd see something on my face that wasn't supposed to be there and do her best to get rid of it in order to make me presentable. Goodness knows how I managed to get so filthy between home and our destination, but considering the number of thumb baths I had over the years, I must have been pretty good at it.
I hated it.
It was like slow motion watching her thumb hit her tongue and then come toward my face. Dread was all over me and I'd scrunch up, distort my face, and start stepping back as I resisted her efforts. It didn't stop her though. She'd just grab tighter and rub harder to clean me up.
Did I mention that I hated it?
And I secretly vowed to myself that I would never do that to my kids. Never.
I broke that vow, by the way.
These moments came flooding back to memory as I read from Psalms 51 this week.
The thumb bath.
She'd see something on my face that wasn't supposed to be there and do her best to get rid of it in order to make me presentable. Goodness knows how I managed to get so filthy between home and our destination, but considering the number of thumb baths I had over the years, I must have been pretty good at it.
I hated it.
It was like slow motion watching her thumb hit her tongue and then come toward my face. Dread was all over me and I'd scrunch up, distort my face, and start stepping back as I resisted her efforts. It didn't stop her though. She'd just grab tighter and rub harder to clean me up.
Did I mention that I hated it?
And I secretly vowed to myself that I would never do that to my kids. Never.
I broke that vow, by the way.
These moments came flooding back to memory as I read from Psalms 51 this week.
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions.
Psalm 51:1
Those of you who've read very many of my posts know that I can't just leave it at the verse, I need to know more, and because of that I went in search of more information on what the phrase "blot out" means. It comes from a Hebrew word machah which means - to stroke or rub; to erase; to smooth as with oil, or in my instance, spit. I'm totally kidding about the spit part. It also means to touch, to reach unto, to utterly wipe away.
There has been much in my life that He has had to rub out, much about me that he has utterly wiped away.
Sometimes it isn't comfortable, rubbing something out requires a little friction. He still sees things in my life that need to go and He reaches unto it. I still resist, but like Mom, He just grabs me tighter, pulls me closer, and rubs a little harder to clean me up. He does it because He loves me and is proud to call me His own.
And He utterly wipes it away.
Leaving me completely presentable for all eternity to see.
And I am glad He did it to me.
The same is true about you, sweet friend.
XOXO
There has been much in my life that He has had to rub out, much about me that he has utterly wiped away.
Sometimes it isn't comfortable, rubbing something out requires a little friction. He still sees things in my life that need to go and He reaches unto it. I still resist, but like Mom, He just grabs me tighter, pulls me closer, and rubs a little harder to clean me up. He does it because He loves me and is proud to call me His own.
And He utterly wipes it away.
Leaving me completely presentable for all eternity to see.
And I am glad He did it to me.
The same is true about you, sweet friend.
XOXO
