14 Sep, 2010
Squeaky Clean
About one million children and teenagers suffer from an anxiety disorder called OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. One OCD symptom is repeated and continual handwashing. Because of a fear or doubt that "sticks" in the sufferer's brain, they feel compelled to keep washing--they can never be clean enough. Although their anxiety is lessened for a brief moment, the feeling eventually returns, and the cycle repeats itself.
For more information about OCD symptoms and treatment, visit The Healthy Place or KidsHealth.
John 13:8-10 (NIV)
Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me."
Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"
Jesus replied, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you are clean..."
What does God's story scripture teach us about being spiritually clean?
Peter, one of Jesus' closest buddies, suffered from spiritual OCD in John 13. Peter was a guy who walked with Jesus, who saw what he could do. He was a guy who even proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah--the one who would come and take away the sins of the world. It seems like Peter would "get" what Jesus was all about.
But here we find Peter arguing with Jesus about his cleanliness! First he turns Jesus down (v. 8), but Jesus tells Peter that he needs to get clean. His feet were dirty from the journey, and Jesus demonstrates what He does for Peter's heart when he stooped down and washed Peter's feet. It was like a "freshening up" moment, body and soul.
Then Peter responds and tells Jesus that he must need a full bath! Peter's spiritual OCD made him feel that he just couldn't be clean enough. Yet Jesus promised that when we believe him as our Savior, he does the work of making us clean--once and for all. Our sins are forgiven and we are free from the burden of guilt from our past. All we need is a spiritual "freshening up" from then on.
How can we connect today's God's story scripture to our lives?
- Ask yourself if you let your past actions define your present reality. So often, we carry around guilt and shame from our mistakes and let them squelch our joy.
- If you feel like you are spiritually OCD, always feeling like you need to get clean, ask God to help you accept his gift of forgiveness as a reality in your life.
- Imagine yourself as Peter in this passage from John 13. If Jesus was kneeling before you, what "dirt" would he be washing out of your day? What "dirt" would he tell you you are already clean from?
How can we connect today's story, God's story scripture, and our story to others?
- Living life as a person free from guilt is a powerful witness of God's work in your life!
- Ask a friend this week if they ever feel defined by their mistakes. Share with them the way you've felt freed from your past because of God's forgiveness, and how that helps you forgive yourself and forgive others.
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