Wiping Away the Dirt

Our back deck has white vinyl railing around the perimeter. It’s a nice contrast to the brown decking, but as you may already know, vinyl easily attracts dirt. My spring-cleaning chores include wiping away grime that collects on the railing over the winter months.

The first year I attempted this task, I pulled out anti-bacterial wipes and was pleased to see that in less than an hour, our railing was sparkling. Satisfied with my work, I went inside to wash up and go on with my day. Later that week, I noticed the railing was already losing its sparkle.

No worries, I thought to myself as I grabbed the wipes again. As I set to work, my frustration grew. The problem wasn’t just a few spots where I’d missed the grime the first time; the whole railing had a faint hue of green.

As I continued cleaning, determined to have white railings, I realized I’d originally cleaned off only the surface of the grime. Several layers of it had piled on top of each other over the winter season. Wiping away the top layer of grime only revealed the next layer. This is a perfect metaphor for how sin can be layered in our hearts as well.

In 1 Timothy 4:7–16 Paul writes:

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Paul gives these new believers a tall order to follow. They were working to remove the layers of their old lives as they trained themselves to be godly, and Paul tells them to examine their speech, faith, purity, reading of Scripture, prayer, teaching, and use of their spiritual gifts. He goes on to encourage those in the church at Ephesus to be diligent so “everyone may see your progress.”

With each characteristic shaped to now glorify God, some of the grime was wiped away. But each layer required the same discipline to clean. And just as new believers in Ephesus under Timothy’s leadership learned the discipline of refinement, we must walk the same path today.

Whether it’s cleaning a railing or realizing that the refining process in my life requires more effort, it’s easy for me to become frustrated when I realize a layer of grime exists. It takes work and discipline to wipe away grime, yet the work is never complete. In Romans 7, Paul explains the circular frustration of sin:

What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? (Romans 7:16–24 MSG)

I wrestle with the same frustration Paul expresses. I do what I don’t want to do, and the grime of sin builds up. I wonder if I will ever wipe all grime of sin away, just as I wonder if the deck railing will ever become pure white. But we don’t develop the discipline of wiping away grime overnight, and we can’t execute it independently.

Thankfully, God doesn’t require perfection. Instead he delights in our progress. His grace covers my imperfect attempts to wipe away the sin that covers my heart. When I remember this, it’s all the encouragement I need to continue to practice the discipline of wiping away grime.

Second Corinthians 12:9–10 says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (NIV).

Beth Walker is a football coach’s wife and mom of two energetic boys. She strives to encourage those around her to pursue their best lives in Jesus whether she is near the game field, in church, or at the local coffee shop. As a writer, Beth has been striving to find her voice through seeing Jesus in the ordinary and extraordinary of daily life. She blogs at Lessons from the Sidelines.