Have you ever heard it said that the PRIVATE state of your life is reflective of the actual state of your life? I have found that to be true to some extent. Many times we are not aware of what we leave to be fixed later because we are so busy doing what we think needs to be done. It is easy to drop your shoes somewhere, or leave your jacket or backpack sitting in a place where it doesn't belong. I have located keys on the top of a refrigerator and other items in weird places, because of being in a rush. I remember the first time I heard that saying, it had me walking through my house looking at all the things that were out of place and then had me cleaning up! I figured even if my house was clean to the first eye, what would the second eye see?
JUST PLAIN NASTY!
I have been to houses that are filthy. In the early 80's I visited a home that literally had roaches dropping from the ceiling in the kitchen. I was not hungry that day and politely excused myself from eating. The bathroom had a ring around the collar of water... that was dark and FILTHY. The carpet in the rooms could not be seen at all - due to the clothing, paper and food trash. After getting home, I took a serious shower with WAY too much soap, and devised a plan to never have to go there again. Hoarders are not the only ones who live like this.
DIRTY BUT MANAGEABLE
Then there is the house that is dirty, but not gross. It needs attention because it is on the verge of getting nasty; but every so often the owner takes time to clean up and put things away, usually before guest show up or on days when they are fed up with the mess. By taking some time to clean and organize some of it, that makes it manageable... for awhile or until the next cleaning.
MESSY BUT NOT DIRTY
I always believe there is a place for everything and everything should be put in place. Some households are messy but not dirty. Meaning due to moving and doing so much, things get left out of place. A few dishes left in the sink that will be cleaned as soon as time allows and clothes that are clean but need to be folded and put away. Beds get kind of made, or at least the sheets get covered by the comforter. This house has a clean bathroom- it gets cleaned as they go, but needs a little time to really clean the places that take more time. They may often have a set time to do those chores so they don't get overlooked, but it is still not always company ready.
CLEAN AND MAINTAINED
Then there is the house that is cleaned regularly, always ready for guest and thing are seldom out of place. This house is fresh, smells good and is welcoming to anyone almost anytime! Their floors are swept, bathrooms smell fresh and even the outside reflects what is on the inside. This house is great, but like all the others, it still requires maintenance or it can fall. This is the house we want, but we have to work to get. (or get a maid)
TOO CLEAN TO LIVE IN
Believe it or not, there are some houses that are really uncomfortable to be invited to. The owners are so particular that you are not sure if you can stand, sit, sneeze or move. You are scared to use their restroom and feel completely convicted every time you go there knowing your house is not nearly as clean and orderly as theirs. In this house, there is an appreciation for the freedom from bondage that you have at your house and you may leave there appreciating your own little mess simply because this house takes too much to maintain! You would rather live with a little dirt than to not be free to live at all.
APPLICATION TO US!
As you can see, no matter what state you are in, we all need help! If we are in a filthy state, we may just need help getting it together. If we are messy, we may need to clean up and make habits that help us avoid being messy. If we are cleaned and maintained, we need to continue to maintain it! Just a day or two without paying reasonable attention can throw us into a messy moment. We can recover easily from a messy moment, but don't allow messy to be a habit. For those too clean to live in, we call that "Self Righteousness." Every house has areas that need cleaning and everyone should be comfortable around genuineness; trying too hard make us difficult to entertain guest or make it difficult for others to be around us, especially if we judge their every move. We are what the bible calls 'temples of the Holy Spirit". We should care about the parts of our life that no one else may see unless we invite them in. After all, as believers, we have invited the Holy Spirit to live within us. The Holy Spirit acts often as a live in maid, an honored guest that cares about how we look to others and is ready always to work in us to present us to God the Father.
HOUSE CLEANING
Like I am doing now, I encourage you to take some time to examine your physical house, but then examine your spiritual house. Understand that just because it needs cleaning does not mean God has rejected you. He is the one who is encouraging us to be ready at all times. Some of the ways we 'clean' our house is through prayer, forgiveness, attending church, reading and studying the word, time with God and worship. No matter what state you are in today, there is always room for improvement. Yield to the Holy Spirit, He is willing and able to help us in the areas we need it most.
So if you are anything like me, take a tour of your house and see what is out of place, and take some time to clean up, fill it up with God's presence and plan for better!
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