Reason #983
Our house has been a mess for two weeks. Now, I realize everyone defines "mess" differently. I grew up with the most organized, clean parents ever. Things were not to be left sitting out. Everything had a spot in which it belonged, and sanitization was a priority. My mom vacuumed and wiped things down all the time. In fact, we cleaned before our house cleaner came so that she didn't think our house was a mess. And so I grew up in a home of organization, and if you ask me, organization and cleanliness lead to peace.
Well Aaron and I have been pretty busy lately, and my domestic skills have been lacking. I've tried to do my best to keep the house orderly, but it just gets dirty. I could write my name in the dust on the furniture, feel crumbs underneath my feet as I walked across the kitchen floor, and see water spots all over the bathroom mirror. To the naked eye, the house probably looked fine. But since it is my house, and since I know how nice it looks (and smells) when it's clean, I could tell a difference. It just seemed a little darker, a little dirtier, a little less comfortable than normal. Sure, it's the same house, but cleaning it changes things. It's amazing how much brighter the room looked after I dusted it, and it's amazing how much more the bathroom sparkled after scrubbing grime off the countertop. In fact, as we got into bed tonight, Aaron said, "I always like when we have weekends where we can get our house cleaned and in order." I agreed. It always makes me feel better. A clean house is a peaceful house. Plus, it's nice to have your things in order right where they belong.
Your body is a temple. The spirit of the living God dwells inside of you if you're His child. And so in a sense, you are a house. A brick... house. I'm getting off track. Anyway, the Holy Spirit lives inside you. He has taken up residence in your life, and the truth is, sometimes our housekeeping skills are lacking. We're too tired, too run down, too weak, too easily tempted, too quick to say yes, too slow to say no, and before long we've got a mess on our hands. We've failed to properly maintain ourselves, and we've got some cleaning to do. Sure, from an onlooker, all seems fine. In fact, they may be quite impressed by what they see. But you know differently. He knows it, too. You know how you feel when your life is a mess, when you're knee deep in sin and disobedience, and you know how you feel when you're living a life that honors the Lord. There's a distinct different between the two, and let's be honest, which one really feels better? I'll agree, house keeping isn't that much fun. Watching TV, shopping, reading, spending time doing what I want to do is more fun than vacuuming or scrubbing toilets. And living a life that is pleasing to our flesh might appear to be fun at first. But after a while, you look around and you realize you're in a place you don't want to be. A place of emptiness, darkness, disappointment, discomfort, and disarray. And you begin to long for the days you didn't feel those things. The days where you felt at peace, where you were full of joy, where you didn't have to worry about keeping up with all the lies or getting caught red handed. The days when you could feel God's presence moving and working in your life, and right now, you just feel alone.
Well, maybe it's time to clean house. Maybe it's time to pull on those rubber gloves and grab a bottle of bleach. No house cleans itself, after all, it takes work. But you don't have to do it on your own. You don't even have to figure out where to start, either. He'll tell you. He'll let you know exactly how to get that shine back. He'll even help you. He'll guide you, direct you, give you the courage and strength to do so, and He'll encourage you each step of the way. You've just got to start, and He'll help you see it to completion.
#983 - For a clean house and because He helps us "clean house."
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Well Aaron and I have been pretty busy lately, and my domestic skills have been lacking. I've tried to do my best to keep the house orderly, but it just gets dirty. I could write my name in the dust on the furniture, feel crumbs underneath my feet as I walked across the kitchen floor, and see water spots all over the bathroom mirror. To the naked eye, the house probably looked fine. But since it is my house, and since I know how nice it looks (and smells) when it's clean, I could tell a difference. It just seemed a little darker, a little dirtier, a little less comfortable than normal. Sure, it's the same house, but cleaning it changes things. It's amazing how much brighter the room looked after I dusted it, and it's amazing how much more the bathroom sparkled after scrubbing grime off the countertop. In fact, as we got into bed tonight, Aaron said, "I always like when we have weekends where we can get our house cleaned and in order." I agreed. It always makes me feel better. A clean house is a peaceful house. Plus, it's nice to have your things in order right where they belong.
Your body is a temple. The spirit of the living God dwells inside of you if you're His child. And so in a sense, you are a house. A brick... house. I'm getting off track. Anyway, the Holy Spirit lives inside you. He has taken up residence in your life, and the truth is, sometimes our housekeeping skills are lacking. We're too tired, too run down, too weak, too easily tempted, too quick to say yes, too slow to say no, and before long we've got a mess on our hands. We've failed to properly maintain ourselves, and we've got some cleaning to do. Sure, from an onlooker, all seems fine. In fact, they may be quite impressed by what they see. But you know differently. He knows it, too. You know how you feel when your life is a mess, when you're knee deep in sin and disobedience, and you know how you feel when you're living a life that honors the Lord. There's a distinct different between the two, and let's be honest, which one really feels better? I'll agree, house keeping isn't that much fun. Watching TV, shopping, reading, spending time doing what I want to do is more fun than vacuuming or scrubbing toilets. And living a life that is pleasing to our flesh might appear to be fun at first. But after a while, you look around and you realize you're in a place you don't want to be. A place of emptiness, darkness, disappointment, discomfort, and disarray. And you begin to long for the days you didn't feel those things. The days where you felt at peace, where you were full of joy, where you didn't have to worry about keeping up with all the lies or getting caught red handed. The days when you could feel God's presence moving and working in your life, and right now, you just feel alone.
Well, maybe it's time to clean house. Maybe it's time to pull on those rubber gloves and grab a bottle of bleach. No house cleans itself, after all, it takes work. But you don't have to do it on your own. You don't even have to figure out where to start, either. He'll tell you. He'll let you know exactly how to get that shine back. He'll even help you. He'll guide you, direct you, give you the courage and strength to do so, and He'll encourage you each step of the way. You've just got to start, and He'll help you see it to completion.
#983 - For a clean house and because He helps us "clean house."
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20