The vent on the floor is perfectly situated for keeping us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Many times little feet can be found standing on it to warm up during the cold, winter months.
It does however, have a major drawback. Being so close to the kitchen table the vent also collects a lot of crumbs. Tiny pieces of scraps that fall during a meal, or that are inadvertently swept in the wrong direction by a careless child are quickly gathered into its depths.
After Caleb grabbed the bottle off the vent I took off the cover to wash it. What I found underneath the vent cover was disgusting! Crumbs, dust, debris had been slowly building up over time unnoticed. (Yes, it has been cleaned out several times before!) But then I began to wonder...how much of my life is like that vent?
Daily I go about my tasks letting little things slip in unnoticed...an angry thought, a disappointment, a frustration with a situation. Rather than taking it to the Lord, the crumbs fall into the hidden places of my heart and are forgotten.
Over time, my life may appear fine on the outside, but the inside is another story. The crumbs don't just sit there innocently. They cause the diseases of the heart to grow, to multiply. And those little crumbs don't just stay put. They come out in other ways...a harsh word, a lack of peace, discontentment, a critical spirit.
Just like the vent cover needed to be removed and the insides vacuumed out, so my heart also needs to be cleansed through confession of my sin and the work of the Holy Spirit.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
any unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
How thankful I am for God's forgiveness and grace. Now, if I'd only remember to have Him check the "vent cover" of my heart a little more frequently!
Very nice post!
ReplyDelete