I spent 6 hours cleaning the house yesterday. The wife is coming home today after being gone for two weeks, so I figured I should clean it up a bit. It wasn't messy, or overly dirty, I just wanted to make sure when Crystal comes home today, its to a really clean house.
Crystal is typically the one who does the lion share of the cleaning around the house, so yesterday was a quick education for me. She does a fantastic job of keeping the house very clean, so for me to clean up yesterday and have her notice, took drastic measures.
You can't just pick up the front room and vacuum and expect that she'll notice when our house is clean already.
So what did I end up doing? Cleaning the hanging light fixtures, the ceiling fans, the ovens, windows, the top of the valances. I'm a military guy, and we were taught to clean every last nook and cranny. We can't do "once overs". So when It came to cleaning the toilet, I figured the only way to clean under the seat was to remove it from the bowl and run it underwater. I know, its a bit excessive. Welcome to my world.
I kind of like cleaning. It gives you immediate satisfaction to see something change before your eyes. To look as something when it was dirty and then look at it when it is clean, gives me a sense of personal accomplishment. Who would have thought that a clean oven could be so wonderful?
I can appreciate that there are a lot of people who don't enjoy cleaning. People who don't care that their house is dusty or cluttered. That's not me. I love a clean house. It got me thinking yesterday though- when it comes to our spiritual lives, are we as diligent at keeping it clean?
Let me explain- I believe that the biggest cleaner of our spiritual house comes when the Holy Spirit indwells within us. But isn't there a personal responsibility on us to inventory our lives and search out that which is not beneficial in our lives and then clean it up? Its not an easy exercise, but it is something that we should do. When we take the time and go through our lives and find that which keeps us from growing, we should clean it up and get it out.
It kind of like my house. Its easy to clean up the big stuff, its the small stuff that is hard to get rid of that most of us ignore. No one likes cleaning furnace vents. No one likes searching out their soul for unresolved spiritual dust bunnies that need to be vacuumed up. It not fun. Its necessary though.
Take some time today to reflect on your own life. Where you are at, what you're doing. Ask, "God, is there something in me that you want to clean up or change?" Its not an easy exercise, but here's what will happen- God will reveal to you what you should clean up, and here's the best part- He will help you do it. He wont leave you alone for the task. He will be there with you the whole time and do most of the work for you.
But you have to ask.
Be blessed
pastor matt
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