July 6, 2018

The house needed a bit of scrubbing today.  Being empty nesters, it doesn’t need it very often, but today was the day.

Not having littles around very often, our home stays pretty tidy.  But tidy doesn’t equal clean.  Having everything in its place makes my organizing heart happy, but it does nothing for the clean freak that resides in my brain.

At first glance everything looked great – but then I saw a cobweb swinging from the top of a curtain over to the ceiling fan.  How long have you been there?  A cluster of dust bunnies frolicked under the dining table.  Where did you come from?  Streaks of who knows what dotted the patio doors.  Well, good grief.

I confess my life is often like my home.  Tidy at first glance, but in need of a scrubbing when you look closer.  Discontentment can string along my thoughts.  A cluster of selfishness frolics in my daily activities.  Steaks of jealousy cloud my eyes.  How long have those been there?  Good grief!

It’s easy to see the good things that are in place and ignore the negatives that others overlook.  It’s easy to postpone the scrubbing that needs to be done in order to stay on top of things.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not talking about trying to be good enough for God to show me favor or love.  I can’t earn it or ever be that clean on my own.

When I was ten years old, I confessed to Jesus that I was a sinner and deserved to be punished for my sins.  I told Him I believed He paid for my sins by being punished in my place on a cross.  Then I surrendered my life to Him so we could walk together every day and He could lead me.   In essence, I became a new person on a new path, allowing Christ to direct me to what I need to tackle to fight back my old habits of sinning.

He will never lead me to compare my life to others.  Comparison is never good with homes or spiritual lives.  Comparison causes me to either think I’m doing better or worse than someone else.

My life should be about what God has to say.  His Word shows me the standard I need to measure up to.  He knows when I am ready to handle what He wants me to tackle.  He knows what type of cleansing products should be used.  He knows when I need to work on something in one day or spend a whole month on it.

Lord, I’m so glad you don’t leave me where I am.  You don’t let me grow accustomed to living in cobwebs, dust bunnies, and streaks.  With your Words, teach me how to take care of areas of my life that need some work.  Convict my heart when I think I can hide behind a tidy first impression.  Thank you that my sins are already paid for and forgiven, Lord.  Help me to continually seek to live a life that honors you.  Clean me, Lord.