Bathrooms (09/06/2024)

We all have our ideas of ideals. Some of us reserve the ideals for lofty things. One thing I have some very specific ideas about are bathrooms. Put another way, I’ve very particular about my bathroom. I got it from my father who would only stop at gas stations that claimed/promised they had “clean restrooms.” We six kids got used to “holding it” until one of those “clean restrooms” signs appeared. As an adult, I will still hold it until I get to a gas station I know will have “clean restrooms.” In Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, that is Kwik Trip or Kwik Star. A girl needs to maintain her standards.

Recently while on the road, I found that there were no Kwik Trips and people don’t advertise “clean restrooms” anymore. A person has to commit, park, and go in. Did a lot of that. I was pleasantly rewarded in some cases and grossly disappointed in others.

Standards and ideals aren’t reserved to bathrooms. In fact, I bet we all have many others.

One area where we should have standards and ideals is our faith and how we live it out loud daily. I know that I have standards and my conversations with the LORD in the morning usually centers around help holding to them; my prayer in the evening is in thanksgiving for those times I was able to uphold Christ’s example and teachings and in contrition for those times I failed. And there are times I fail. Lots of times, actually.

But failure doesn’t mean dropping my standard. Christ never told us to “do this unless it’s inconvenient” or “do this until you don’t want to.” We have our standards. We have our Redeemer. We have His example.

One thing that makes it easier along the way is another who is also trying to follow in Christ’s footsteps. I know that the number of times a companion has saved me from abandoning my journey are too numerous to count. I pray daily that I will be a good companion to those I encounter along the way.

Let us take time to truly consider what our “standards in Christ” are and let us commit whole heartedly to them and to living them daily. Let us remember that Christ showed us that it can be done. He never said it would be easy. Let us look for others to walk with us, to encourage us, to remind us, to help us live the ideals we believe.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.