Cleaning House, Cleaning Soul
Tonight I had to stay up cleaning my house. There has been too much going on over the
last few days and when you throw in a sick little one everything seems to pile
up quickly. I do love these moments. No, not the cleaning, the time when the house
is quiet and I purposefully do not put on music or the tv, a time to be alone
with my thoughts and weave in and out of conversations with God. Tonight, it felt like as I was cleaning my
house, I was cleaning my soul. The time
alone allowed me to take stock of what has been going on over the last few
days.
Even though I have been getting my time with God in
the morning I have had so much going on that it seemed like He was getting
drowned out. It was like my kitchen
counters. It wasn't that anything bad
was going on in my kitchen, only
good things that were happening. Breakfasts,
lunches and dinners were made and cupcakes were iced for my Bug’s 3rd
birthday. However, just a night or two
of letting the wrappers and plates pile up from all the good things and my
kitchen was a mess. If I didn't tell you
there was a counter underneath it all, I am not sure you would believe me.
I wish I could say that it was good things that were causing
the pile up in my soul.
If I was being honest, I would have to admit that among all of the junk there was
definitely some worry, some frustration with my husband, some upset over unmet expectations
with God and even a little some a good bit of self righteousness
sprinkled on top. It was getting hard to
see the foundation with all these other things taking up residence in my soul. I do not want to allow the small distractions
of life to creep in and make a home in me.
I do not want my soul to be dirty and unkempt with the trash of this
world lying around on it. So tonight, as
I finally took the time to clean my kitchen and prepare for tomorrow, I spent
time enjoying God. I talked to Him about
the things that were weighing on me and I asked Him how I was doing in what He
had planned for me (Ephesians 2:10). I asked what areas needed confessing or tweaking, where was I way off base and
where I need to continue steadily on the path or even pick up speed. In the end I was able to take a deep breath and
move past all the junk, literally. I am
looking forward to waking up tomorrow to a fresh kitchen and a fresh soul ready
for my next steps.
I highly recommend taking the time to get quiet with God and
letting Him sweep away the junk that can pile up when we aren't paying attention. Praying for you tonight.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn't
some broad, general outline--it's a long walk with a real Person. Details
count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts
of kindness, brief victories over nagging sins.” - Joni Eareckson Tada
Comments