I can sleep anywhere at anytime on anything. That’s a problem because sometimes I fall asleep in strange positions or on unusual things and when I awaken it feels like someone has beaten my head with a baseball bat. Such is the case this morning.

The only way for me to escape this kind of pain is to get into a really hot shower, put the water on the back of my neck, and stand still for as long as I can. I came to the church this morning to write this column and the pain was too great. So, I went to the gym, got into the shower, turned the water as hot as I could stand it, and stood there. It was great. I just got out. I went in there about 45 minutes ago. I feel wonderful. How long has it been since you had a shower?

Seem like a stupid question? In the “Third World” most people never get to shower. They only bathe about once a week or once every other week and that is usually in a creek or river bed. They have little or no access to soap or shampoo. At best they are only washing off and getting out. Oh yeah, they don’t usually have towels to dry off on so that just drip dry or wash their clothes in the stream with them and put them back on, wet.

Bathing is such a priveledge. It feels so good, doesn’t it, to get clean? And I take it for granted. I don’t go to the shower in an attitude of prayer and thankfulness, but I should. I aught to be singing the praises of God for the opportunity to be renewed by the washing of my flesh.

I’m reading the auto-biography of Adoniram Judson. He was the first foreign missionary from America. He was imprisoned in Burma for more than two years for preaching the gospel. In those two years they were not allowed any bathing priveledges. Can you imagine the smell of a prison full of inmates that had not bathed in years? They shaved their heads because there was no way to control the amount of lice and vermin that were living and feeding in their hair when they slept. It must have been ghastly.

Can you imagine the stench of my soul when I have gone without the spiritual cleansing of forgiveness for my sins. I’m not talking about salvation, I’m talking about daily communing with the Father. Confessing the sin that lives in me and seeking his forgiveness and cleansing. King David knew something about it. Read Psalms 51.1,2. John knew about it. Read IJohn 1.9. I need spiritual cleansing, daily. I need forgiveness, daily. I need the washing of the word, daily. You want to know why? Because if I don’t clean up, spiritually, my life starts to stink.

So, how long has it been since you got clean? I’m headin’ back to the shower. I can never get enough of The Water.