Can you hear the shower running?

I don’t remember why we liked to run around barefoot so much as children. I wore shoes if I had to, like going to school, but otherwise they stayed somewhere on the bedroom floor where they belonged. Whatever the reason for it though, it meant my feet were usually dirty.

Getting dirty didn’t bother me much, as a boy. And not only could we run around the neighborhood and get dirty in the 70s, we wanted to run around the neighborhood and get dirty. But it bothered mom for some reason I couldn’t understand. I suppose she was cruel that way.

I recall one evening when I was about 10 years old and she had guests over. As my bedtime neared, she told me to go take a shower. When I returned to say goodnight about 20 minutes later, she asked if I had taken that shower. After telling her I had, she surprised me with a follow up, asking “Are you sure?”

What? Hadn’t she heard the shower running just 10 minutes earlier? Didn’t she know I was an obedient child? What was she getting at? But after replying with a tentative, “Yes,” my surprise turned to horror when she demanded, “Show me your feet.”

By then I was thoroughly confused. Had she lost her mind? Why did she want to see my feet? But I showed them, supposing it was some adult quirkiness. That’s when I discovered I had missed a few spots when painting my mother as clueless. For there, in front of us and the curious eyes of her guests, were my covered-with-a-thick-coat-of-Dallas’-finest-dirt feet. But how was it possible that she knew I hadn’t actually taken a shower” I mean, the running water could be heard throughout the house!

I thought of this story when reading about the bronze lavers God had Moses make for the priests to wash their hands and feet in before entering the “tent of meeting” (or their temporary temple in the wilderness, Exodus 30:17-21). In fact, they couldn’t enter the tent of meeting without being cleansed from their sins and offenses.

“So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.” (Ex. 30:21)

Sin is part of our daily lives, as it was also for those priests. We’ve often heard this, and I think most of us believe it, but we have trouble looking like we know it. I mean, we can point to our obvious sins, both big and small, but our heart-felt thoughts are more difficult to recognize as sin. See how Paul described it so thoroughly in Galatians:

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:17-21)

I think we would agree that these sins are noticeable, but we should also notice the extension Paul’s adds by saying, “and things like these.” That broadens the list to anything remotely related, which is a very long list, indeed.

The thing is, God does not categorize sins as “big” or “small.” To Him, a sin is a sin, all are displeasing, and they all make us unclean. Like those priests, our offenses pollute us, and we cannot be pure before Him without first being cleansed.

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?

And who may stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood

And has not sworn deceitfully. (Ps. 24:3-4)

The Good News is that we have the Living Water, Jesus Christ, to cleanse us. And so, as Matthew Henry says, it is “our own fault if we remain in our pollution.” Jesus even said that though He wants to clean us, we will not be able to enjoy a relationship with Him if we do not allow Him to do so.

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13:8)

So, it boils down to this—when I am told get rid of the dirt, I need to get rid of the dirt. To do that, I need to look closely to find it. And it also means that I won’t be clean by just saying I am. Whatever reason I might have had as child for not wearing shoes, I’m no longer a child, and the shower is no longer the focus, anyway. He takes care of the washing, if I fess up to still being dirty.

Before bed each night, now, I look at my feet and long for the shower. So, yes, mom, my feet are clean.