Gum Scraping Weed Digger

Today I got to spend an hour lounging by the pool at our apartment complex. The temperature was a toasty 84 degrees and the skies were sunny. I'd already jammed much into the day, and thought one hour for me catching up on a six-month-old November magazine by the pool would be just the thing. When I got there, I was the only one at the pool ... at least the only one lounging. There was an employee of the complex there as well. He wore a protective mask over his nose and mouth and carried a sharp scraping tool with him. Every so often I'd glance up from my magazine to see him digging our a weed or scraping at the concrete around the pool. For the longest time I wondered what he was scraping. Then after dipping in the pool, swimming to the stairs and getting out near him, I saw that he was scraping off dark, flattened wads of gum. Apparently people had carelessly spit out their gum around the pool and on the sidewalks leading to it, just feet from the many garbage cans conveniently available. I thought to myself, "Good heavens, how does a person get so lucky to have that job: gum scraper and weed digger." After my hour at the pool was up, I gathered my towel, bag and magazine to head back to the apartment, and looked around the pool. It was gorgeous! He had cleared off every bit of gum and pulled every weed from cracks between the pool's brick edging and the concrete patio. I wondered as I walked away if there was a smile on the man's face behind his mask as he looked over his handiwork. He had done a thorough, yet thankless job. I'm sure not one other resident will look at that pool today and notice it's gum-free, weedlessness and think to themselves: "I really need to thank that guy and tell him nice job!"

My Jesus has that job. He's the gum-scraping, weed digger of my life. When I go to Him for forgiveness, He wipes me clean, creates in me a new heart and puts a right spirit within me (Psalm 52:10). So the next time you see me looking so pretty (on the inside, that is; look closely, my actions will give me away), look to the One who took on the dirty job to cleanse me ... and don't forget to thank Him, because He's got a lot more scraping to go with me.