Wash Your Hands, Darling

There are so many germs out in the world, darling Psalm. Some are not-so-dangerous. Others are. But all of them have a way of changing you--some more gradually than others--from "clean" to "dirty."

People pick up germs in any number of ways, and almost always by accident. Nobody wakes up saying, "I'm going to do my best to pick up as many germs as I can today!" Because everybody knows that germs have the potential to be very damaging and force us to do any number of things to get cleaned up again.

Germs naturally spread, and fast. They spread by simply talking to other people (carried through the air) or by touching something someone else touched (spread by mutual touch of space). And there is no respecter of person when it comes to germs and germ spreading. Nice people spread germs. Bad people spread germs. One person in a family of five--like the size of your family--can pick up a damaging germ and spread it to his/her family in no time. The truth is that people are carrying and spreading germs all day long, every day. You are, too, darling.

Human beings are germ carriers and germ spreaders. That's why we must be very, very careful and never forget to always, always, always wash our hands.

There are going to be people in the world who believe there is nothing wrong with carrying around germs, nothing wrong with not washing their hands. They may even go to the bathroom and walk out without washing their hands afterward. Everything they touch is affected by their refusal to stay clean.

Some people wash their hands when they think of it. But if they're too busy or wrapped up in something else (muti-tasking, for instance), they may overlook it or forget. Even without meaning to, they are spreading potentially damaging and dangerous germs.

There are people, however, like myself, who are very very concerned about germs. They are careful to think about what they do, in the bathroom, in public areas where they know people are constantly going to and fro, coughing or otherwise, on most of the public surfaces. And so I take precautions.

There is a place very few go, where they go too far, and they let fear overtake them about the germs. They may wear a face-mask so they do not have to breathe the air, or gloves so they do not have to, themselves, touch publicly touched surfaces. They may avoid using public facilities because they are fearful of catching diseases. Some even may stay home instead of going out because they cannot control the germs they will see. (Please understand that you CAN catch diseases. But these people let their fears overtake them.)

Germs are out there. Everywhere. In your home or on the street. Wherever you go. And never forget that YOU carry germs, too.

To stay clean, we must wash daily. We must regularly wash our hands with soap and water. We should, once in a while, do an assessment, "When was the last time I washed my hands?" And then wash up immediately, once we think we may not have washed our hands in a while.

When we do not do these things, we become a germ carrier and spreader. We can make ourselves sick and we can make others sick. Some germs may only cause temporary illness, but others may be lasting--or even permanent. Sometimes, people have to pay a LOT of money to treat the illnesses that germs have caused.

And in all of this practical discussion, dear Psalm, there is a spiritual lesson for us. This morning, as I woke up, I knew I had to sit and write this for you. Because as you grow up and learn about the Holy God Almighty that we serve--Master and Maker of heaven and earth, Creator of the universe, the LORD--and live your life before Him, you need to know that we are incapable of purity on our own. We naturally pick up germs. Yet do not let that be an excuse to wear them around. Wash your hands regularly. If you detect a stain, wash it off of you as quickly as you can. I don't care how many times you have to wash up in a day: WASH UP. I don't care what anybody says to you, tries to make you believe about it being "okay" to wear your personal filth around. It's not okay. He says it's not. So wash up.

One verse that came to mind this morning comes from Psalm 24, and it's about why we need to keep our spiritual hands clean:

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? / He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." Psalm 24:3-4

Another verse that comes to mind is one found in the book of 1 John, and it tells us what we need to do when we realize our spiritual hands have gotten dirty:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

And while we must be ever mindful of our spiritual germs, we do not have to go overboard and become FEARFUL or paranoid about our germs, as some people do. I want to leave you with one more verse, just in case you need it:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

I love you, darling Psalm. With all of my heart.