Spiritual Laundry, part 3

 Continued from part 2!

Sometimes through the week we may fall, we may stain our clothes with a little dirt as we make mistakes. We can use some stain remover when we spill ketchup all over our clothes, or wash a dirt stain out in the sink. At the end of the week though, we still wash those clothes in the laundry to wash away whatever underlying dirt or smell we may have overlooked by ourselves. We can have our clothes cleaned and purified all the way through!
 When we sin, or fall, make mistakes, during the week, we can still pray for forgiveness for those sins and have them forgiven right then. But, as we partake of the sacrament each week and renew our promises with our Heavenly Father, we can have ourselves cleaned and purified all the way through to wash away those underlying things we may have overlooked during the week. We can all have the cleansing effect that comes because of our Savior Jesus Christ and his Atonement for us. I am so thankful for Him and the sacrifice that He made for me so that I can be cleansed and feel the warmth of His love all the time! I know He loves each and every one of us and invites us all to come to Him!

John 13:4-9

4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

Will you set the time aside each week to let your Savior Jesus Christ wash you and cleanse you of your sins?

Spiritual Laundry, Part 1

So I'm trying something new or once! I'm going to break up the topic I want to write on over a series of a few blog-posts. I want to talk about everyone's favorite thing... doing the laundry! Ok, so not everyone's favorite, but we can all relate. Each week you have to take all your old, dirty, smelly clothes, take the time to sort them. Then you have to start the wash, come back in 40 minutes to an hour, load them up in the dryer, and then come back in another 40 minutes to an hour and get your fresh, warm clothes!

"Boy... you stanky"

 If you really want to put the extra effort into it you can buy certain laundry supplies to make your clothes smell like evergreens or flowers or the ocean or cotton-candy... Well, I'm not sure if they have cotton-candy scent yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Regardless, doing the laundry is something we do each week (at least I hope) so we can stay clean, fresh, and still be able to be around people without driving them away due to our odor! Through a combination of water and heat our clothes are made brand new!

The scriptures teach of a good parallel for the purifying power of water and heat!

When I was eight I did something, and still do, similar to doing the laundry. I was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost! My father, holding Priesthood authority , took me into the water and as I was immersed and came forth (symbolic of the death/resurrection of Christ, also called baptism by water), my sins, like dirt and odor in laundry, were washed away through Jesus Christ (Alma 7:14).
Afterwards I received the gift of the Holy Ghost (called baptism by fire in the scriptures, see 3 Nephi 12:1-2). The Holy Ghost, can guide us and direct us. Like laundry after it has been in the dryer, the Holy Ghost can also give us feelings of comfort, peace, and warmth (Luke 24:32 and 3 Nephi 11:3).
I know that through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ we can be cleansed from our sins, those mistakes dirty our soul and create a rank smell of remorse and distaste in our mouths. As we are made clean we can be able to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. No one wants to be in our presence when we have gross, smelly, mouldy clothes, and likewise, we cannot remain in our Heavenly Father's presence when we allow ourselves to be covered in gross, smelly, and mouldy sin, for "no unclean thing can dwell" in the presence of God (1 Nephi 10:21). We can be made clean and pure though, and I am so thankful to our Savior Jesus Christ for this!

To be continued...