Bedspreads and Hair

I have two thoughts to share today. The first is I washed my bedspread today. It looked fine, but now that it has been done, I can tell it was dirty. In the past, it was washed more frequently. When my son's little dog was alive, he had an annoying habit of hiking his leg on the end of it if he got made at me. Sometimes, we would go entire visits without him getting mad at me. Other times, I washed the spread several times during his stay.

But since he's gone, I don't even think about it very often. That's how sin in your life can be. If you don't think about it, and nothing drastic happens to draw your attention to it, you can ignore it and not dwell on it.

As part of the incomplete forgiveness project I am working on at the moment, I find I am harboring some resentment and anger. Hmmm. Sin that doesn't show to anyone else, but it is there. Like the dirt on my bedspread, it isn't obvious to anyone but me, but it is just as deadly to my walk with Christ as the worst sin I can think of being carried out in public.

The second thought is the result of getting a haircut today. My hair is basically curly, though I can tame it a great deal when my hair is short (not so much when it is long). My stylist put a little gel in my hair after cutting it and did a mildly spiky "do". She added hairspray to keep everything in place, and I came on home. Four hours later, I trekked past a mirror and noticed that despite her best efforts, my hair is back into its usual style. What she attempted lasted a very short time, and I had done nothing to change the spiked look.

Old habits die hard. Just as I have battled negativity all of my life and continue to battle daily, the habits we form are like fetters. Good habits are fine, but the bad habits we all practice imprison us in some way that stunts our walk with the Lord and our growth as believers. It will take extreme effort to break the habits that bind my faith and working out my faith.

I challenge you to "wash your bedspread" today and take a long look at the habits you practice. Keep the good ones and begin working today to eliminate the bad ones. I hope your walk with God grows stronger as a result.