Clean Slate

Every Saturday in the fall when I was a girl, my parents would grab rakes and spend what seemed like hours raking the leaves into huge piles. I never saw the purpose nor the fun in that task. I asked them why they raked the leaves when the October wind just pushed them around again. They answered that raking allowed the ground to breathe and cut down on potential problems. At 8 years of age I had no idea that leaves could be so dangerous! My job during the raking was to clean the slate pathway that went around the house. "Clean the slates, sweetie", my mother would say. So I would obediently (but not joyfully) sweep leaves off the Vermont Red slate tiles and then hose them down. I often noticed that the leaves left faint stains on the slate tiles. It would take some effort to wash the stains away, but sure enough, the slate would reveal the deep cranberry red color my parents so admired.
Today I thought of those tiles and how they are like my life. I get covered in the debris and rubbish that comes with living . Somewhere is the glow of my faith but I have lost my sparkle. Then, I hear my Heavenly Father say "Clean the slates!" And before I know it the Holy Spirit has given my attitude a good cleaning and I am all sparkly again. Now, sometimes the stains are deep and require some scrubbing....but God is faithful and true. When He calls us "His own", you can rest assured He will take care of us. Hey, anybody up for a good old fashion Holy Spirit scrubbing? Write me and let me know you're out there...