“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband– the LORD Almighty is his name– the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. Isaiah 54:4-5
We were visiting one of the Great Lakes and the area around it yesterday when I learned something I knew nothing about before. You see, we decided to explore one of the streams located a very short distance from the lake. When we got there, the state had a sign posted for us to read before we got to the water. It talked about cleaning all fishing equipment and letting it dry thoroughly before fishing in another area. This was something I’d never seen before!
Apparently, it’s possible to pick up invasive species and carry it along to the next spot you go. A big problem can be the zebra mussel. This isn’t just for fishing equipment, it’s for boats too. The mussels can attach to your boat hull and not only be transported elsewhere, but they can cause damage to your boat. They can grow and clog pipes, screens, and all kinds of things. Damage to the hull and overheating of engines can be a big problem too!
Their larvae can’t be seen without a microscope, and they can get into all kinds of unwanted places without anyone even knowing until they’re covering areas that seem impossible to get to. The boat started out sparkling clean and brand new, but before you know it, these mussels are ruining it. Not only are they ruining the boat, they’re being transported and contaminating areas everywhere they go.
I can just imagine being a boat owner or fisherman and being completely overwhelmed with the potential mess I could have from these invasive species. They’re unwanted, but somehow still find a way to attach themselves to our private property. What an overwhelming experience that would be for those who haven’t learned this process of cleaning and maintaining their boats and equipment yet.
This got me thinking about how our sins are just like those mussels, and how we tend to think that we need to clean up before being introduced to God because we wouldn’t want to contaminate perfection, right? Guess what…bad and good news. You’re never going to get clean enough to approach Him in that way, but there’s another way!
We can’t transfer our issues onto God as we can other people. We’ve been given the ability to go through Jesus to get to God. He’s the cleaning station! He wants us right now, just as we are. He welcomes us with all the garbage that’s riding along in our lives. He takes all that stuff from us and cleans us up. It’s too much for us to try to do on our own…He’s the professional!
Today, go to Him afraid; you won’t be put to shame. Go to him in fear of disgrace; you won’t be humiliated. You’ll forget the shame and get a new title. Redeemed. You’ll be made clean and whole while receiving a love that can never be taken away.
