The average baby does not like being naked and hates diaper changes. He does not kow how important it is that he be cleaned, but his mother does. She lovingly cleans him even in the unpleasant and hard to reach places. Also, if he has a rash, she dabs on ointment to heal him then dresses him in a clean garment. He fights and struggles and screams, but when the experience is over, he is healthier and happier for both the short and long term.
Are we not the same way? When we make ungodly decisions, we sit in a hot mess of sin- poisoning our spirits and sometimes our bodies. God, like a loving parent, wants to clean us up and restore us to spiritual health. But the experience is often painful and humiliating. So, eventhough we know that we need to be changed, pride and selfishness hold us back from letting him take care of us; we fight him. This experience is well documented in the song, “Let It All Out,” by Relient K: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD14sIrLiI8
[Chorus:]
And you said I know that this will hurt
But if I don’t break your heart then things will just get worse
If the burden seems too much to bear
Remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there
And I know you know
You touched my life
When you touched my heavy heart and made it light
I wrote a similar analogy a year or so ago: http://heatherpaiges.blogspot.com/2010/08/analogy.html
