cleaning... house and hearts

Bi-weekly housekeeping service is included in our rental contract for our apartment. Every other Tuesday a team of three women descend on our apartment and in about fifteen minutes they have changed the sheets, cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen, dusted and vacuumed. Yes, I said fifteen minutes. As my grandmother would say, it's more of "a lick and a promise" with a lot of things getting "swept under the rug!" On the off weeks I do a more thorough cleaning. However, traveling and having fun has interrupted my usual cleaning schedule and this week I was left with a mess. As I walked around surveying the pit of despair our apartment had become (and taking pictures for those of you who think my house never gets dirty!), several thoughts came to mind.

What initially began as just a messy kitchen soon spread to the dining room table...

... and before I knew it, the living room was a mess.

And the ugly truth is that is wasn't long before the mess had spread to our bedroom...

... and then the guest room.

The clutter and filth in our apartment is just like sin in my life. It starts out innocently enough... just a few papers left on the kitchen counter... or a little arrogance in my heart. Without any fanfare it silently takes over the counter and spills onto the dining room table... the pride in my heart grows and flows out of my mouth. Without constant de-cluttering and cleaning, the mess grows... and so does the sin. And the fifteen minute "lick and a promise" cleaning just doesn't get it all... like going to church on Sunday but ignoring God the rest of the week keeps me from shining as I reflect God's love.

What is needed is a thorough cleansing getting deep into the nooks and crannies to remove the hidden filth. In the case of my messy apartment, cleaning products and elbow grease took care of it. In the case of my sin, confession and repentance followed by trusting in the Lord's forgiveness were needed. In both cases, the process needs to be repeated often.

"Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is out out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty.

When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."

And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone."  Psalm 32:1-5

I love how God uses ordinary, everyday things... like a messy kitchen and cluttered table... to remind me that we are all sinners in need of Christ's love and gracious gift of salvation (Romans 3:23-34).