(Wed, Jan 25, 2012, Vizaq, India) To me, one of the great mysteries of India is how the women stay so clean and their sari’s so neat and clean despite the extreme heat, awful living conditions and terrible filthy everywhere! They cook, clean, work construction, farm, sweep the streets – yet seem to stay as fresh and spotless as if they just came out of an air conditioned spa. And their hair is always flawlessly kept as well. I saw a woman in a beautiful, beautiful red sari with silver sparkles and fantastic trim – and she was in the middle of the road bent over sweeping the street. (yesterday’s attached picture) It’s true of little girls as well. That’s not an unusual sight here, but it certainly gets our attention!
Men, on the other hand, show the signs of their circumstances – dirty shirts, disheveled clothes and hair, and very often body odor. But not the women. Never the women. Never even once in all I’ve been here.
When I see them James 1:27 always comes to mind. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being spotted by the world.” KEEP ONES SELF FROM BEING SPOTTED BY THE WORLD! What these women do physically we must do spiritually.
I don’t know how they do it, expect that they make it a priority, wash often, and spend the needed time to be and stay clean. I guess that’s the key for us as well – make it a priority and be willing to pay the price. We must do all we can to stay clean in our thoughts and actions. We must clean ourselves quickly whenever we sense some dirt on us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and confess sin as soon as we are aware of it (I John 1:9). It is so easy to be polluted by the world and not even recognize it at first, especially when we are very immersed in things of the world. Being IN the world but not OF the world is the trick. Still it is very possible. Jesus expects it so He knows it is possible. If these women can remain unspotted and unpolluted by their world, we can from ours as well! It just has to be something we want as much as they do! Do you?
Today was a great, rewarding, beautiful day! I spoke 6 full messages to very responsive, wonderful audiences. These pastors and Christians are such loving, giving and caring people!!! We drive almost an hour up the coast by the ocean and we got to put our feet in on a beautiful beach. It was a long, long day but a very good one. Theattached picture is the church of one of the pastors we support. The blue tarp is because half the roof has rotted away! Thanks for your prayers!