Times of Refreshing 11-26-25

I’m CONVINCED my refrigerator is hiding things from me! Seriously! Have you ever gone in to get something you’re pretty sure you had in there, and while you’re looking, found a fuzzy, blue green lump that you have NO IDEA what it used to be? Maybe by the shape you can kind of guess, but you’re not really sure. The WORST is finding a partially filled milk jug, and as you lift it up, you can tell even though it’s still white, it’s no longer a liquid. UGH! You bring it over to the sink and carefully open the top. You know this is going to stink – but it’s only for a few minutes… As the clean water rushes into the container, it mixes with the solid mass of yuk, breaking chunks off, and floating them to the top. As the water continues, chunks are forced to the surface, come out the top and start collecting in the drain basket. More water, more chunks… until the jug is completely clean. Then it can be used again. But there’s still the matter of the drain basket. Switching to the sprayer nozzle, you spray the chunks with the focused stream of water, breaking up the residue that dissolves the last of it and flows easily out of sight and the momentary stink of sour milk is gone, replaced by clean air and the determination to go through the fridge more often so this doesn’t happen again.

Confession time: this has happened to me more times than I can count. And not just with my literal fridge, but with my life.

There are things in our lives that happen – or more accurately, that we push behind other things and forget about in polite company: that argument with your friend that stung a little more than you thought it would, the feelings of “not enough” because you weren’t included, the “aggressive fellowship” you had with your spouse over a difference in how a certain situation should be handled, expectations of someone who you know needs help, but your reaction to the way they’re acting feels more like obligation and resentment than joyfully giving of your time. Examining these “stinky” attitudes feels uncomfortable and not at all like you want to admit is part of your m.o, So a half-hearted apology or trying harder to do it with a smile is pushed in front of that unwelcome emotion, hiding it behind tolerance, performance, and co-dependent people pleasing. The problem is it doesn't go away; it festers in the recessed corners of your heart souring and solidifying inside until one day when you’re looking to be present, helpful, … giving, that “milk jug” is exposed and you have to deal with the chunks.

The Good News is God has already arranged for “chunk removal”! Many people can quote the verse about forgiveness from 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We know God forgives. We know He cleanses. But it seems so hard to get rid of some of the chunks sometimes! Why? Because we don’t stay in the water of the Word long enough to clean it out, we don’t come back often enough to keep the flow of water coming in to displace the foul pieces inside that we’d rather not admit are in there. And we don’t proceed to step two with the directed spray nozzle of the Holy Spirit in a believing community.

In Acts 3, Peter convicts the people of crucifying the Messiah they’d been waiting for for centuries (v. 13-15), and says he knows that they did this out of ignorance and that all these things foretold by the prophets, Jesus fulfilled - all of it (v. 17-8). The hope and encouragement he gives them at this point follows for them, but equally applies to US: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (v. 19, continuing to 20), and that He may send Jesus Christ, Who was preached to you before, (21) Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”

Jesus, The Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, the One Who redeems and cleanses us from all unrighteousness WANTS to refresh you, renew you, re-purpose you for His glory instead of relegating you to the back of the fridge to sit with your chunks and grow more sour-faced and hard-hearted. He INVITES us to come to the Water, let Him pour His Water of the Word into you, rinsing out the old, covering us with Grace as the chunks are flushed out of us and then power-washed in His Grace down the drain so they don’t stink up our rooms, relationships and lives. What could be better than that?

Hebrews 12:11 acknowledges that the submission process, presenting yourself for willing correction and training doesn't seem pleasant at the time, like taking that top off the jug, BUT “afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” Bring your jug to the faucet and let's get rid of some chunks! James says, “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.” So direct the spray nozzle of peer to peer confession toward one another GENTLY, to wash the chunks down the drain. And enjoy the joy of the Lord in a clear conscience, a willing spirit, and a testimony of His cleansing Grace to invite others to the Water! <3

So as a confessed, “stinky chunk” milk jug-ette, I re-open this invitation. Come to the water of the Word, let Jesus pour Himself into you, not just a little bit here and there, but a continuing flow of refreshment, like a water fall, overflowing the things contained in you, releasing the fermenting chunks of resentment, impatience, entitlement and offense, until only His water comes out when you’re squeezed like a sponge by pressing situations. Let Him then use you to pour His water into others who also need His refreshing – and determine in your own life to “clean out the fridge” more often in daily prayer, Bible reading and time spent in the Word to prevent more chunks from forming. :-) C'mon - I'll race you to the fridge!