Climbs a Tree and Scrapes Her Knee...

Once, in second or third grade, I fell in the parking lot and scraped my knee. Since I kept up with the boys when I could, a scrape was not going to slow me down. That evening as I crawled into the hot bathtub, a red streak showed from the wound climbing up my leg. Mom took me over to the doctor. Blood poisoning. For at least a week I had to lay with my leg raised to keep the poison from spreading. Had my mother not seen it or taken me to the doctor, it would have been fatal.

Sadly, I think we often scrape up our spiritual knees and ignore the need for cleansing. It seems too small a sin to us. We forget that sin is sin to God, "big" or "small." Some sin immediately affects others; some, when left, festers into something more serious.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10)

Any sin left uncleansed will shoot straight to the heart with its poison. Don't take your sin lightly. Confess it to God.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

It's a daily bath in God's forgiveness that will keep us clean for the work He has for us.