The Bath...Inside and Out

As I was admiring this familiar painting by Mary Cassatt, it brought me tender thoughts of getting to bathe my own children when they were little. Now, I have only one of four who needs assistance in the batheing process and I have come to realize that this is such a intentional exercise of care for my child. My efforts are focused on the outward cleansing of my child's appearance. I am even careful to scrub behind the ears...places not so noticeable by casual interaction. All this is important for her well-being, to be sure, but it brings to mind an even more important cleansing my child needs, that I need--the cleansing of the heart, an inward cleansing!



As I have matured as a follower of Christ, I have come to understand, by His grace, that I am not able to cleanse my own heart, let alone, my children's. Only through the work of His Spirit in our lives are we able to experience true cleansing.



I want to share this encouraging excerpt from Tedd and Margy Tripp's book, Instructing a Child's Heart...



"Our children's needs are the same as our own needs. We need cleansing, forgiveness, deep internal transformation and the power to change. These transforming changes are described in Ezekiel 36:25-27. This is an Old Testament seed text for the gospel. When it is compared to Christ's dialogue with Nicodemus (Jn.3:1-21), one might even conclude this was Jesus' outline when he spoke with this secret follower.



'I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean' (Ezek. 36:25). Ezekiel begins with our impurity and need for cleansing. We are all sinners; even our best deeds are filthy rags before God.

Ezekiel elaborates on this need for cleansing by identifying two broad areas of life that scream out for cleansing. 'I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols' (Ezek. 36:25).

Our children's thoughts, motives, and actions are impure and show how profoundly they, like us, need cleansing. Impure thoughts are not limited to sexual sin. Any thoughts that are not consumed with loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength are impure thoughts. The only hope for our children and us is the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Our children, like you and me, have enthroned idols in the place of God. We have made the great exchange Romans 1:25 describes. We have worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator. Every particular sin, every point at which I choose to disobey the law of God is due to this great exchange. I am worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator. All sin problems are worship problems. They have their roots in idolatry.

The worship of idols in our children's hearts cries out with the need for cleansing.

We and our children also need forgiveness. We cannot change our history. Even if we would never sin again, we still need forgiveness. Our sins are great enough to consign us to eternal damnation. We cannot work our sins off. Though we cannot earn forgiveness, we can receive it as God's free gift of grace. The promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 promises the forgiveness sinners so desperately need. 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jer. 31:34).

In order to underscore the importance of Christ's perfect life and death on the cross, I used to emphasize for my children that love is not the basis of forgiveness. Instead, forgiveness is based on payment. God's love moved him to send his Son. The Son loved us and gave his life as a ransom. Christ paid the penalty for sins and forgiveness is offered on the basis of payment.

Since the problem with us is greater than just the things we do, we have a profound need for deep internal change. Ezekiel speaks too this need. 'I will give you a new heart' (Ezek. 36:26.) The promise of this passage is that grace brings radical internal change. I will remove for you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

We and our children need change that is that radical and thorough. When a child has gained renewed interest in a toy simply because a sibling would like it, that child is exhibiting a stony heart. That hardness of heart will not be melted through anything other than grace. Manipulation of behavior through rewards and punishments will never touch the stony heart. In fact, if you think about it, most behavioristic manipulation makes its appeal to the stoniness of your child's heart. Behaviorism appeals to his compulsive self-love, his pride and his love of pleasure to produce externally appropriate behaviors.

Only grace can change the heart. What an encouragement! The very thing that we need is the very focal point of God's work. God gives us a new heart--a heart of flesh!"

What a joy! HE provides real cleansing, on the inside...even behind the ears, so-to-speak--places which cannot be seen by casual interaction.

With hope in the faithful work of the Spirit in the hearts of myself and my children, I press on in His grace and pray...

Mighty Father, in Your great mercy and grace, on behalf of my children, take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh. I pray that You will put Your law on their minds, and write it on their hearts; I pray that You will be their God and they will be Your people. I pray that You will forgive their iniquity, and their sin, may You remember no more (Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31: 33-34). In Jesus' name, Amen.