Mopping My Heart’s Stains

Mop, mop, mop … there’s a blotch on the floor that won’t seem to budge. Mop, mop, mop….

Gradually the blotch begins to fade with each rub of the mop until the stain is barely visible. For a moment I ask myself, “I am so tired of mopping this stain. Should I keep going? No one would notice if I just left it as it is.” Immediately a thought pops into my mind, “What if this stain was my bad habits?”

What if I had spiritually cultivated my proud, irritable, impatient self to a seemingly gentler person, yet had a heart that would still fluster with fury behind a smiling face when meeting unfavorable circumstances? No one would be able to tell how hot-tempered I still was.

My friends would say, “You’ve changed!” Brethren at church would remark, “You’re really different from before.” But the faint outline of my old self would still remain in my heart. What would Jesus say to this?

In Matthew 6 Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for practicing their righteousness before others in order to be seen by men. The Pharisees placed importance on outward cleanliness and rituals but neglected the state of their own hearts. Although other people may not see the hideousness of our heart, we must remember that there is one who does—the Lord Jesus to whom we are accountable.

Acknowledge our uncleanness to God. Ask the Lord to completely remove the stains that remain in our heart. Be washed until we are truly whiter than snow.

For a moment I looked back at the stain that was staring at me. “It’s just a few more wipes,” I thought and scrubbed it clean.

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Ps 51:7)

 

 

Reflection:

What are the stains in our heart?

Is it still important to us to remove these stains? Have we stopped putting time or effort into removing them?

What steps can we take to “mop” these stains away?