Sometimes It Takes A Little Elbow Grease...

And a whole lot of patience.

I got this Corning baking dish in 1997 as a wedding present. It is by far my favorite dish and it has been very well used for almost two decades. As you can see, it has not fared very well. It is in a rather embarrassing condition. In fact, many people that see this dish would probably make some incorrect judgments about me. Like that I am a horrible wife. Or a really bad cook. Or not good at keeping house. I am sure you know what I mean.

Back when I received it as a newly wed, I knew little about cooking and cleaning. I knew even less about being a Godly wife. As a matter of fact, at that time, I had a rather laissez faire relationship with Jesus. He was there when I needed Him, otherwise, not so much. I was coated with sin, inside and out.

After awhile, I think that my soul resembled this dish. I mean, I started out clean - at least as clean as a newborn baby. But I sure didn't stay that way. Sin had its effect on my life. Over the years, a rather thick and disgusting layer built up. With the passage of time, I accepted the dirt. Oh, sure, I would pray - when I needed something. I would repent as a part of church ritual. But I never felt clean. I never felt good enough.

Today, I have a much different relationship with God. Now I repent not as part of ritualistic prayer but because I know my soul is dirty. I no longer want to accept the dirt as status quo. I want to be clean - washed in the blood of Jesus. I want to be a Godly wife. One that can cook and clean and raise her children right. That is why I try so hard emulating the Proverbs 31 woman. And, just like this dish, I know that because of Jesus I can be clean again, inside and out.

Is it easy? No. It takes patience. It takes faith. And sometimes, it takes a little elbow grease. Elbow grease on my part; and sometimes I think Jesus rolls up His sleeves and rubs me a little - and sometimes a lot. And that's okay. I clean up nice too.

To clean this particularly stubborn dish took a bit of patience and a bit of elbow grease. I sprayed it liberally, several times, with cheap kitchen and bath cleaner from the dollar store. I scrubbed it with some Scotch Brite green scrubbing pads, SOS pads, and a butter knife. It had been covered with so much blackened and baked on food that I had forgotten that it had a floral swirl design on it; hence, the butter knife. It took me a couple of hours here and there to get it clean. Sure, it is only a $30 dish, but it is my favorite. And now, I am proud to use it and display it on my table again.