Roger Barrier writes in Listening to the Voice of God:

When I left for college, my mother—who'd always done my laundry—sewed a canvas duffel bag for me. "Put your dirty clothes in this every night," she said. "At the end of the week, wash them at the laundromat."

Seven days later, I took my dirty clothes to the laundromat. To save a little time, I threw the duffel bag in the washer, put in some laundry powder, inserted the proper change, and turned on the machine. Moments later, a loud "thump, thump, thump, thump" echoed through the laundromat. A pretty Baylor co-ed approached me with a grin. "I watched you load your washer. I think the clothes would get cleaner if you took them out of the bag."

One day, when my relationship with God was hurting, I remembered my laundry episode. I realized the way I confessed sins—"Dear God, please forgive me for all the sins I've committed today"—was about as effective in cleansing them as my first attempt at washing clothes. Each sin needs individual attention.