Clean or Dirty?

Yesterday morning our washing machine stopped working. When my husband came home from work he pulled it out so he could have a look. He didn't find out what was wrong with it, but we did find a disgusting mess behind it. Mouse droppings, old cloths, spiderwebs, and a lot of dirt. Johan left the washing machine pulled out so I could clean it.
As I cleaned up the awful mess today, I realized that our lives are like that washing machine space. When everything is going well and as it should be, we appear to be doing well too. Just as when my washing machine was in its place, everything appeared clean.
 But then something is moved or lost (either temporarily or permanently) as my washing machine was.Things we depend on, need or want.
 Maybe it's our health, our sleep, our time, our energy, money, broken appliances that we depend on, a car that doesn't work, a sick child, our home, normal life, a busy husband etc. 
Then we see the dirt--the ugly resentment, bitterness, greed, covetousness, unkindness, envy, anger, selfishness, impatience, fear, worry, unbelief and so on. 
It can be discouraging to realize just how 'dirty' we are! We can feel like we are going backwards instead of forwards.
But that space behind my washing machine is not dirty anymore. I gave it a good clean and it is looking nice again. If the washing machine had not broken, it wouldn't have gotten cleaned. (Maybe I should clean behind things like that more often, but I don't!!)
And I don't need to despair about my own 'dirtiness' either. I can be thankful that I have become aware of it, and I can confess it to God. He has promised to forgive and cleanse me.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalms 51:2 and 10

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9