Hard Work

Cleaning is never fun, especially if it is the grille, a chrome bumper, or any stubborn stain. I don’t have to look very hard to find something that needs cleaned. What cleaner should I use to get the job done? If you could ask your Grandmother what she might have used, she quite possibly would say “elbow grease.” As I look in the cleaning product isle at the local marketplace, I can find more than one brand of cleaner for almost every tough cleaning job, but I can’t find elbow grease. Most of you have heard of this expression before, but those that haven’t, it is a humorous figure of speech for indicating that the only thing required is hard work, AKA; manual labor.

Elbow Grease on My Stains

As I thought of this idiom, I wondered how that might apply to my daily trials and tribulations. Am I using enough elbow grease to get through all my anxieties, shortcomings, or desires? Do I need to work harder, study more, or make more money? The Apostle Paul addresses this in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.” What is truly a good, acceptable, and perfect use of my life? How do I recognize when I am conforming to the world for my own purpose? I often get in God’s way by trying to take control of my problems, not asking God for help! Numerous times in the Bible we see the words “The Lord is my strength.” God dwelling within us is our elbow grease, giving us the strength we need to do His will. When the stains in our lives grow thicker and tougher, we must use His elbow grease that is within us. Some of the stains in our lives we feel may be easy to clean up, but others are not; they can cause us to become angry, depressed, or scared. We often seek an alternate cleaner that will clear our stain other than asking God for help.

God Has The Answer

The Lord that is inside you and me is the elbow grease needed to get the stubborn stains off of our souls, out of our minds, and away from the worldly patterns tugging at us from every direction. Trusting that God is guiding our path “Thy Word Is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105) and always beside me “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me” (Psalm 16:8) gives us the assurance that we are not alone. God is waiting for us to ask for help, and we can do that through prayer. Dear Lord, forgive me when I get self-centered in my own guilt. Use your cleansing power within me to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Help me to shine with the love you have given me, inside and out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.