He pulled the rubber plug and sadly watched the water swirl in tiny cyclone-fashion through the hole in the bottom of the hot tub.
Memories of nights spent soaking under the stars flashed through my husband’s mind. Cool mist sprinkles falling lightly upon his cheeks. The musky smell of burnt leaves permeating the air. The warm water as it encircled his body, calming the twitching nerves in his legs.
The hot tub was my husband’s late night companion during the year he officiated a sporting event. With his kidneys functioning at only ten percent, it didn’t take much for his legs and feet to cramp. He soaked two or three times nightly to relieve the twitching so he could sleep.
After dialysis started, there would be no more midnight soaks or pulsating caresses. No more hot tub, period. My husband held off dialysis as long as possible. When his declining physical strength took its toll on his body, dialysis became necessary.
Dialysis purges the impurities out of my husband’s blood through a fluid. Toxic fluid is drained from his body through a catheter and replaced with new fluid. The cleansing process restores health and strength to his body.
As I think about the dialysis process, I think about sin. Sin is like the toxic waste festering inside my husband’s body. We tend to hold on to our sin until eventually we hit bottom. When we realize we can’t purge the sin embedded within our souls, we have only one place to go: the foot of the cross.
On the cross, the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, allowed Himself to be drained of life for our sins through His shed blood. When we kneel at the cross seeking forgiveness and repentance for our sins, He takes them from us. He empties us of the poisons that destroy our soul and then fills us with new life—eternal life.
The process for my husband began with strength. The strength to step toward healing and wellness. For us, our next step also begins with strength. The strength to step to the cross. If you have not taken that step, let me encourage you to do so. Don't wait.
Drain the dirty, toxic slime from your soul, and fill your body with new life … eternal life … life only Jesus Christ can give.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Sheryl M. Baker enjoys bringing hope and encouragement through God's Word. Her devotions have appeared in Light from the Word, The Secret Place, Power for Today, and christiandevotions.us. She is a contributing author to Yvonne Lehman’s books, Spoken Moments, More Christmas Moments, and Loving Moments. Sheryl lives in northwest Indiana with her husband Ben and spoiled cat Rex. Connect with Sheryl at sherylmbaker.wordpress.com or spunbythepotter.com.