IS CLEANLINESS NEXT TO GODLINESS?
He walked out of the toilet stall just as I got there and strolled straight out into the midst of the general public, without as much as a pause to wash his hands. dressed in a smart business suit, attending an international conference that would ensure only the highly educated and employed would have access therein, I shuddered to think about how many hands he would shake in the following minutes, each one unaware of what residue of death he so casually carried about wherever he went.
This memory came vividly to mind as I walked into yet another public toilet at another convention center, where the stench of stall urine and the still air of an unventilated room caused my breath to catch in its tracks. What is it about toilets, I couldn’t help but wonder, that makes it so difficult to keep clean and fresh? Blaming the toilets is futile as the fault lies squarely on human shoulders. Men have a tendency to splash, no matter how good an aim they think they have and that leads to all sorts of complications for the toilets to handle. Splashing, being natural, can be excused but what can not is when after the bliss of a timely release, the fellow walks away leaving his mess for another to clean up. Some don’t bother to flush, the greater number never clean their splatter and others compound it all by not washing their hands after it all.
The lord Almighty made clear that He is not only a god of order but one who treasures cleanliness and hygiene. He severally talks about coming for a spotless church, one without blemish. It baffles the mind that the attitude of certain human beings in public facilities is equally reflected in their homes, for getting into any house, wisdom dictates to visit the restroom first, for should you find it in a state of unpleasant disarray, you are best advised to take care of what enters your mouth thereafter. godliness after all, is not best judged by what is exhibited on the outside but is found to speak volumes by what is hidden on the inside.
How clean are you?
May the lord help us appreciate the values of hidden cleanliness.