Today’s Verse

Psalm 51:7

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (NLT)

One of the first big purchases my wife and I made as newlyweds was…drumroll please…a shiny new washer and dryer set!

Gone were the days of roommate’s old appliances or the cheapest hand-me-down deal we could find. This was a grown-up move; it was time to invest. I did all the research, compared the models, learned about all the options, and finally made the purchase. A major life milestone, right?

All these years later, that same trusty washer and dryer combo is still ticking…and keeping our laundry fresh. Now yes, throughout my laundry career, inevitably shirts have shrunk, stains haven’t come out like I hoped, and things have been “misplaced” (it’s always the mysterious missing socks).
It’s all part of the adventure. But you know what? I'm grateful.

The laundry room is where we turn dirty clothes into clean clothes. The same is true in the church.

We have to debunk the thinking that church is only for perfect, put-together people. Or the place we dress up and act like everything is good. We all come in dirty and stained. We make mistakes, we mess up. But that’s where the real beauty of the church comes in. We’re not a place for perfect people, but a place where we bring our mess. Just like clothes in the washing machine, we surrender our stains to Jesus, trusting Him to wash us clean.

Psalm 51:7 says, ‘Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.’ That’s the heart of our church. We are a laundry room where Jesus is the ultimate stain remover. Let’s keep making Southland a place where people feel safe to bring their dirty laundry — and experience the transforming power of God’s love.

Scott's message was a refreshing reminder of our church's true purpose. So we'll continue exploring this metaphor throughout the week...and remember, even if you can't find the matching sock, you're still welcome ‘round here!

REFLECTION

Who does the laundry at your house? Text them right now & say “thank you!”. Even better, text your parents right now and say, “Thanks for doing MY laundry ALL those years!” It may the most God-honoring thing you do today! See you tomorrow.