Dirty Dishes in the Sink

One recent morning I trudged into my kitchen only to behold a stack of dirty cat dishes.  Again.  It's a scene I often encounter, only this time, it got me thinking... 

I hope you enjoy this one!

Dirty Dishes in the Sink

Every morning, when I walk into the kitchen, I am welcomed by the sight of dirty cat dishes that fill up the sink – sometimes both sides of the sink.  Sigh.

My husband is the official ‘breakfast waiter’ for our cat menagerie of three.  Believe me, he has his hands full serving our little trio.  On time.   Every day. 

Naturally, they make it their business to boss him around.   They cry.  They scratch at their food cabinet.  They rule the start of the day (and other parts of our 24 hours.)  Some mornings, one of our felines even sneaks a walk inside the cabinet, despite great effort to prevent this little trek (or trick). 

Eventually, my husband completes his challenging task, and even gets himself to work on time.  Barely. 

The cats, for their part, never think to leave him a tip.  What they do leave, like I said, is dirty cat dishes.  For me.  Joy. Joy.  And I don’t mean the dishwashing detergent.

Dirty dishes.  They are, plain and simple, a part of everyday life.  Plates filled with little globs of ketchup, a piece of veggie you can’t seem to put into your mouth, maybe even an unwanted food morsel that you simply refuse to try today, thank you very much. Then there are the glasses that accumulate throughout the day - way too many of them, which don’t quite fit into the already full dishwasher.   Frustrated yet?

And someone has to deal with all this mess.  If you’re reading this, you are probably thinking, “That ‘somebody’ is me.”  Ugh!

What about when God sees our messes?  Doesn’t He watch us each and every day, staring directly at all the stacks of messes we make in our own lives?  Of course.  And does He throw us away, treating us like a dirty plate that needs to be scraped?  No way.  Instead, He takes hold of each plate, each glass, each of us, as if we were the most precious piece of bone china or fine crystal that was ever made. Then He lovingly, gently, washes us thoroughly until at last we come out clean - till the next time.  All He asks for in return is our gratitude and a chance to be a vital part of our lives.

Well, it’s almost that time again.  Time to clean up the morning mess in my sink. 

Thank you, three felines who, despite the mess, we love so much.  Thank You also, dear God, for cleaning up my messes, big and small, on each side of the sink, today and every day.  Amen.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9


Copyright by Chris Schneider 2011