Speaking of Holiness...

We know that although the holiness which God provides for us is free to us, it's costly to Him. But has it ever occurred to you that holiness is messy? My friend Liz had some poignant reflections on this a few weeks ago:

On hearing the word “holiness” what do you see/think of? For me it’s a white cloth or a robe. A very clean and very bright white robe.

...My mental image is colliding with what Leviticus says. The OT methods of how to be cleansed and redeemed are messy--very messy. Nothing of what we’re reading is neat, clean or tidy. There’s blood being poured, sprinkled, and strewn. Blood thrown on the four sides of the altar and blood placed on Aaron and his sons. It’s a lot [of] blood. The details of killing each animal with explanations on how to handle each section on the animal seems more like butcher training then my ideas of what a priest does. There is no way the priest's clothes could have stayed clean, let alone Tide-with-bleach-white.

Each morning as we read it hits me: the cost of holiness is messy.

Full post is here. (You can also check out her reflections on life as a missionary in Japan here.)