Washed clean

The sun was shining, the sky was clear – a perfect weekend for camping! We had all the supplies, the gas cook top, the surfboards and everything else we needed. We picked out our spot and threw open the tent and…there it was, working out from the centre – a large patch of mould.

 

Either I packed the tent away when it was still wet or some moisture had worked its way into my camping trailer, this was a problem that needed to be solved.

 

At first we brushed it off, which removed a good amount, then we washed the tent with salt water and that dealt with most of the problem but now we have to wash the tent with bleach and then and ‘ anti mould’ treatment to ensure that the mould doesn’t simple grow back.

 Mould is like that, once it gets in you must be vigilant to kill it otherwise it will simply reappear down the track. You can’t just give it a brush off and remove the bit that shows, you must go below the surface so that its life. You need an effective treatment, one that will last and will kill its effects. You can’t just give it the ‘brush off’ you need to be washed clean.  

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and I shall be whiter that snow”   Psalm 51

Foundations

Last week you would have read about the large hole that suddenly appeared right under a block of apartments in Lane Cove.  Ten metres wide, it opened up like a huge mouth and I watched someone’s lounge room fall right into it.  

I am sure that: there will be lots of reports written; lots of possible causes given; people might loose their jobs; and I am certain that a large insurance claim will be made but one simple fact remains. The foundations of this block of flats were eroded and eventually they disappeared altogether.  

Foundations are something that we tend to take for granted.  Whether they are for a building or for an organisation you only tend to think of the foundations when you are starting out.  But this recent event made me think about the state of my personal foundations.  

Erosion happens when something unseen and unwanted eats away at a strength that supports your life.  It is so important to have strong foundations: honesty; loyalty; love; and spirituality are some of the important foundations we should have in place.  But I have found that this world seems to have a way of undermining these things, washing them completely away.  This is when we fall, part of our world collapses and we are left with a huge mess to clean up.  

Why don’t you ask the Lord to help you check out the foundations in your life? “Whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” Proverbs 1:33