"Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

     This is a screenshot of my facebook news feed a while back. I did not edit the picture except to crop. These two posts from different sources really did appear together. Although I chuckled at the irony, it really is sad. How often have I run around in mud puddles only to play the grace card? Too often. God wants to extend His grace to us, there's no denying that, but sometimes I see Him on His throne smacking His Head at our foolishness. Sometimes I turn away because of the tears in His Eyes. My sin grieves Him yet He waits for our repentence and then because of grace, because He cannot deny His very character, He goes to His Garden and picks fresh hyssop. Hyssop was part of the cleansing ritual performed by priests in David's time. 

     Today varieties of it can be used in cooking but they have a bitter minty taste. Perhaps it is the fear of bitterness that keeps us from the first step of cleansing--repentence. You see, God doesn't call out that it's bath time. We have to come to Him. I don't know about you, but sometimes I let the mud get caked on. Maybe this time i really blew it and He'll make the bath water too hot or make me chew on the bar of soap. Of course this is my own foolish thinking. God knew what He was getting into when He gave us free will. He created a fountain of grace with a Source so deep it'll never run dry. 

      Now don't get me wrong, we should not jump on the sin wagon every time it passes by. But if we get lured in by temptation and take a ride we can jump off knowing He'll catch us.