A lesson from my mom

My mom has had a hard day. She's stressed out, not feeling well, and cold. And her remedy? Bubble baths! Mothers like bubble baths, I do not know why. But she comes downstairs and promptly informs me, "Well, that was a failure." And this was the story she related to me. 

She started filling the bathtub and noticed the water was kind of yellow. But that wasn't about to alter her bubble bath plans. She pours the bath salts in the water and turns on the jets. And the water starts bubbling - but the bubbles were brown! And my mom was grossed out. She had to clean the tub and wash the jets out with bleach, and her plans for a bubble bath were thwarted. And after she relayed this depressing story to me, I thought she was done.

But no.

She continues, "And so I though, my evening was ruined! But then I though, the bubble were kind of like sin." Before she could lose me, she explained that when the brown bubbles started coming to the surface she was initially grossed out, depressed that the yucky brown bubbles had ruined her plans for a bubble bath. But then, she realized if the brown bubbles had never come to light, she wouldn't have known the bath tub needed cleaning. Instead she was able to deal with it. And while it wasn't the ideal ending to her evening, my mother can take joy in knowing her tub is clean. She's a clean freak like that.

When confronted with our sin, it can be discouraging. We are repulsed by our own filth and we despair our failures. But when the sin comes to the surface, we should count it a blessing. Now we know our short-comings, and God has given us all we need to be clean, to deal with the sin. What seems like a failure is an opportunity for us to have victory. And ultimately we're cleaner than when we thought everything was hunky dory. 

I was like, "Mom, you should be a Christian living columnist." And she said, "Yah, maybe I'll start a blog." But my mom doesn't have time for a blog.