Let's Not Use Dishwashers

happy birthday dad

My dad doesn’t like using the dishwasher. He never uses the dishwasher. And I mean never(!) Today’s actually his birthday — happy birthday 아빠 haha. I was just thinking about this part of my dad’s personality as I was cleaning some dishes last night.

Using the dishwasher provides convenience but it doesn’t always necessarily do the best job. Sometimes a stubborn splotch of sauce won’t come out of the plate you use every day, requiring you to wash it again or leave it in for the next round. But it’s so easy, isn’t it? 

However, my dad doesn’t use the dishwasher. He likes to wash dishes by hand.  Splotches of sauce are never missed, as he closely inspects every utensil, cup, and container when encapsulated by his hands. It’s a labor of love. It takes a whole lot longer than using the lovely stainless steel dishwasher that came with our house. My dad also refuses to wear gloves, leaving his hands rather dry from the dish soap and hot water. Yet he’s never complained about doing the dishes. He begins when everyone is ready to go to sleep, even though he has had a long day at work. He never asks for a thank you or form of acknowledgement when it’s complete. All of this reminded me of the character of God.

God is that wash by hand dishwasher in all of our lives. Never scared or annoyed at our uncleanliness and lives excreting with sin. He doesn’t wear gloves to handle us because he’s unafraid of His imperfect creation. He will pick us up, one by one, gently scrubbing away at our imperfections and sanctifying us. This requires patience that the Lord already has, and we should aim to have the same in the process. We’re made new in purpose, much like a clean plate. Isn’t that crazy? 

I finished a book during the first month after my ACL reconstruction surgery called The Rock That Is Higher, where Madeline L’Engle tells of her near death experience that ultimately grew her trust in the Lord. One of my favorite lines from the book is “what God began, he will not abandon.” My heart glees at that. I find so much comfort in knowing this and believing it. Sanctification is definitely not a one and done sequence but something that is ongoing. A current read is Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, a book that grasped my attention because of the beautiful cover spotted in passing at Barnes & Noble, but funnily enough is the focus of a little accountability group I’m in over winter break.

“Our deepest instincts expect him to be thundering, gavel swinging, judgment relishing. We expect the bent of God’s heart to be retribution to our waywardness. And then Exodus 24 taps us on the shoulder and stops us in our tracks. The bent of God’s heart is mercy. His glory is his goodness. His glory is his lowliness.”

God draws closely to us despite our sin. In all His humility, He desires to be with His creation, and that in itself is so beautiful.

I want to honor others in a wash by hand kind of way. As we enter into this new year, I think we should focus on serving in a sacrificial manner to all of those around us, bringing one another to Christ more and more each day. I know I’ve told multiple people that I don’t have any resolutions (oops) but we should be striving to be like Jesus constantly. I also hope to honor my parents more, two figures that I’ve been blessed with who have cared for me in the way God does. It is through the simplest things that we see God’s love the most abundantly.