Dirty.

     I have my last preschooler in home right now.  Ellanor is a ray of delight and laughter in our home.  She has tufts of curly blond hair and a ready, wide smile.  Her laugh brings fairies back to life.  She used to love dirt.
     The stickier, gooier, grossier the mess, the better.  She did not like the cleaning process.  That is putting it mildly.  As soon as she heard the water hit the paper towel, and mommy make the "Ok, time to clean up," noises, she started to run and scream.  Smearing the mess on the wall, door, floor and couch, if at all possible, as she ran.  When I caught her, the wild thrashing, gnashing of teeth, and loud "I HATE YOU's" would ring out.  I persevered.  If you read my last post, you have seen that God has transformed me into a consistent mom.  You're dirty, it is time to clean up.
     Then there was a subtle shifting. 
     We recently had our monthly, Saturday morning, Doughnut Day.  Oh, we all love doughnut day.  I buy the stickiest, gooiest, chocalatiest doughnuts I can buy in Lafayette.  This particular Doughnut Day marked a difference in Ellanor.  She was holding her eight inch long glazed tiger tail doughnut when she put it down, looked up at me and said, "Mommy,  I sticky.  Please clean me off with water and napkin."  There was a silence in the room.  Nobody had every heard my baby girl utter those words.  I said calmly as I could muster, "Of course, honey.  Let me get the paper towel."  She sat perfectly still as I wiped, moped and dried.  She who used to love the mess learned that clean was better.  Then I saw us all as humans.
     We come into the world determined to sin.  Loving to spread the mess and our stain around the room, we lash out at anyone that might correct us.  Jesus in his loving and patient way calls to us and comes with robes of righteousness cleaned in His own blood.  We learn that clean is better.  Over time, we give up the stickiness of our sins that once enslaved us as God teaches us a better way.  Oh, to be free in the shining streets of heaven gleaming in our spotless robes!