Washing Mixing Bowls: "Cleansed by Forgiveness"

Washing Mixing Bowls: "Cleansed by Forgiveness"

The ceramic bowl sits heavy in my hands; its surface scarred with dried chocolate batter that has hardened into stubborn brown patches. My daughter had tried to help with the birthday cake yesterday, her small fingers eager but clumsy, leaving a trail of ingredients across every surface we touched together.

As I fill the sink with warm water, watching steam rise in gentle curls, I'm transported back to a refugee camp where I once served-Nia Kavala, up north Greece. There, a young mother named Amira would wash her family's single metal bowl with precious drops of clean water, her movements deliberate and grateful for what little she had.

I remember how Amira's hands trembled as she told me about the night they fled-how guilt consumed her for leaving behind her elderly Yakub Basir, a neighbour who couldn't keep up. "I carry this stain on my heart," she whispered, tears mixing with the soapy water. "How can God forgive such selfishness?"

The warm water begins its work on my mixing bowl now, softening the edges of what seemed permanently etched. Just as I told Amira that day about God's promise of cleansing, I find myself whispering the same truth: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."[ 1 John 1:9 (NIV)]

The stubborn patches yield to gentle persistence, just as King David discovered when his own heart was heavy with failure. In Psalm 51, he cried out for God to "wash me thoroughly from my iniquity," understanding that only divine mercy could restore what seemed irreparably broken.

I watch the murky water swirl down the drain, carrying away every trace of yesterday's mess. In that simple moment, I see what Amira came to understand weeks later-that forgiveness isn't just about being cleaned, but about being made new. Like the gleaming bowl now drying in my hands, we too can reflect light again.

The memory of Amira's smile when she finally grasped this truth still warms me. She had clutched that worn metal bowl to her chest and laughed through her tears, saying, "Even this old thing shines when it's clean." I believe she is still somewhere in Greece moving forward with the belief and hope that God has forgiven her.

Reflection

In our daily tasks, God whispers eternal truths. The stains we think define us-shame, regret, past failures are no match for His faithful love. Just as warm water transforms the dirtiest bowl into something useful and beautiful again, HIS forgiveness doesn't just wash away otr cover our sins; it makes us wholly new. What feels permanently marked in our lives becomes an opportunity for HIS Grace to shine the brightest. We only have to turn around , bow and make our commitment to HIM.

Prayer

Like bowls washed clean by tender care,
Your mercy lifts what I can't bear.
In simple tasks, your love I see-
Forever cleansed, forever free.