Cleaning out the lint trap

I learned about my lint trap today and God decided to teach me about my walk with Him at the same time. Laundry is a never ending process at my house. My dryers lint trap is on the inside of my dryer which makes it easy to see that it needs cleaning. I just swipe and throw away. Until today. 

My son has discovered that he can put rocks in his pocket. While I thought I had retrieved all of them, some little ones slipped through and made it into my lint trap. I took the lint trap out and dumped it in the trash instead of my regular swiping motion. As I went to put it back, I could see there was lint underneath the lint trap. How could that possibly get through there? Isn't that what the trap is for??? I stuck my hand down in there and proceeded to pull out a handful of lint. Then another handful then another. 

I was overwhelmed by the graciousness of my heavenly Father that He had allowed ME to find it and not some spark of electricity because we would have been blown to Kingdom come! Okay maybe I'm exaggerating but it was definitely a fire hazard. But really, God did have a lesson for me this morning as I was cleaning out the lint trap. I realized that the lint is like my sin. I know when I've done wrong. Most of the time. Just like swiping up the lint and like David in Psalm 51:3 "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." That lint was right there in front of me and needed resolved. There are times that I know there is sin in my life. It's obvious! But just like that lint, there are other times that sin sneaks into our lives and is hidden. That's when we need to pray like in Psalm 139: 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" 

Sometimes we need to ask God to reveal those hidden sins to us and ask Him to help us clean out our "lint." I know that I haven't done that for a while and today while cleaning out the lint trap, God showed me that I need to have that conversation "and see if there be any grievous way in me." Maybe you do too.