For the last six months, I have carefully wiped my groceries with sanitizing wipes before I bring them into the house. I am constantly wiping the steering wheel of my car, and don’t you dare enter my house with your shoes on! Thanks to my new addiction to hand sanitizer, my hands are dry and often smell like a bottle of bleach.

But, am I as careful with what goes into my head? Do I look at everything I consume in such great detail to see if there are germs — a.k.a. sin — attached to it? Am I allowing “germs” to invade my spiritual life? Are things sneaking in so quietly that I no longer notice them? I can’t see the germs on my groceries, but I can guarantee you that I do everything I can to keep them from going into my refrigerator or pantry.

Am I as conscientious about my spiritual life? Especially now, when so many of us yearn for the closeness of face-to-face church meetings, hugging our spiritual family, singing with one another praises to our Lord, am I doing what I can to keep my spirit clean and germ-free?

The 1970s introduced VHS cassette tapes for home use. Soon, almost everyone had a VCR in their home. (Parents with children under the age of 20, please explain to them what the acronyms VHS and VCR stand for.) A whole new world had been opened up!

A typical Friday night consisted of a visit to the nearest Blockbuster store, rushing to the new release section, and debating on whether we wanted to watch a comedy or an action movie on our new shiny VCR. Just like today, the movies all had ratings. Before we chose a movie to bring home, we’d turn it over and look at the back for the rating and the brief description about why it had that rating: Crude humor? Violence? Adult references?

I remember a wise sister once said to me, “If a person in my house was using foul language, I wouldn’t allow it. So why is it acceptable to allow the language into my house through a movie?”

Today, as I thoroughly wipe my groceries with sanitizing wipes, I am reminded of this sister’s counsel. What germs am I allowing into my life? What areas could be cleaner, more sanitized, better polished?

We live in a time when our country is probably as divided as it has ever been. During this time of hatred and unrest, are our lights still shining bright? Or have germs and dirt dimmed the shine? What germs can you remove so you will be just a bit cleaner and brighter? As the song asks us, “Do we look in the mirror and check every day? Or simply forget it and go on our way?” What can we sanitize today so that our spirits shine bright?

Do you recall the sign in the Blockbuster store, “Be Kind. Please Rewind.”? Let’s try harder to Be Kind to all, and if necessary, Rewind to the day of your baptism and leave the germs at the water.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.