I was cleaning up bread crumbs off the dining table this morning when God showed me something. I’d like to share it with you.

I had made toast and put it on a napkin to take it to the table. After finishing the toast I grabbed the napkin and turned the outside in. (Like most of us do to keep the crumbs from falling to the floor.) However as I did this little bits of crumbs fell out anyway. I wiped the table with the wadded up napkin again to get the bits that fell. Only as I wiped – more fell out of the napkin. Instinctively I reached with my other hand, the free hand with nothing in it, to wipe all the crumbs into my hand with the napkin in it. This is where God showed me something so beautiful.

He said to me, “How often are you trying to clean up a mess while still holding one in your hand child? What you need is a clean hand free of anything to get the job done.”

I sat there for a bit looking at that mess in my hand. It is so true. I often go about trying to clean up my life’s messes while still holding old ones in my hand. I will never accomplish anything this way. Sure little bits get cleaned up and maybe even a wad here or there. To get the whole mess though I need a clean hand. And that hand is the hand of God. His is the only hand able to get every tiny crumb.