Failed Scrubdown

What does the price of unleaded gasoline have to do with how often I take showers?  A lot, actually.  When the price at the pump went north of $4 a gallon, riding my bicycle 15 miles each way to work twice a week suddenly seemed to be a viable commuting option.  In addition to saving more than a gallon of gasoline each week and reducing toxic emissions, I also get an automatic four extra hours of exercise that I can count toward my preparation for eventually doing a triathlon.  On the down side, the riding also generates a lot more dirty laundry, and the warmer afternoon ride usually means that I desperate need an extra shower after I return home.

I took a long, refreshing shower following one of these sweaty rides home, and went through the usual shower routine of shampoo, rinse, soap on arms, soap on face, soap on the front, soap on my shoulders, soap on back, soap on my lower extremities, rinse, and shave.  I had done the routine over ten thousand times, so I was pretty sure that I got everything covered.  I emerged from the shower feeling and smelling clean.  However, as I was getting dressed, I was dismayed to notice an unsightly, hand-sized gray stain on my right leg.  The stain appeared to be caused by my leg brushing against some dirty chain grease on the side of the bike.  It had a sticky consistency, and apparently did not come off even after I mindlessly put soap on it and rinsed in the shower.  How could I have missed such a large spot?  I guess I wasn't paying attention.

The shower routine reminded me of an exercise that we sometimes performed during corporate prayer meetings and church retreats.  The prayer leader would start us with a time of confessing our sins by examining each part of the body, and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to us whether we had sinned with our minds and thoughts (head), looked at something that we shouldn't have (eyes), listened to stuff that we ought not (ears), spoken words that were inappropriate and hurtful (mouth), etc., until we systematically covered all our body parts and confessed about sins of walking to places that we should have avoided (feet).  As we started to seriously examine ourselves, the activity always seemed to take a long time, as we started to discover stains and blemishes in our daily walk that otherwise would remain hidden and be hindrances to us.  It was much more than just another soap and rinse routine.

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.  (Psalm 51:1-2)


Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.  (Psalm 51:7-9)


Next time, I'll shower with an extra bathroom light on, and scrub with intention.