Thou has made us
for Thyself
and our hearts are restless
until
they rest in Thee
~St. Augustine
Cleaning a house is like confessing your sins. It's all too easy to make excuses for why you don't need to do it at all, or put it off until tomorrow.
If you've been to our home, you've more than likely been warmly greeted by two cats, two kids and two parents... and about a million dustbunnies. Sometimes I know company's coming and I manage to get the house looking quite presentable. Sometimes there's quite a little colony of dustbunnies beside the front door because I swept the hallway but didn't get back with the dustpan. Sometimes I see a layer of dust on the table or cabinets, but don't remember to grab a cloth and wipe them down. So there we are, greeting you and looking like the "before" picture of a cleaning commercial. That's life! Those are my (perhaps) misguided priorities!
Recently, however, a much-delayed and frenzied bout of cleaning provided a great opportunity to talk about the concepts of sin and confession with our 7 year old. I remarked that the dustpan wouldn't have been quite so full if I had been sweeping on a regular basis. In fact, if I swept every day, I'd still get a little bit of dirt, just not a panful! Leaving the mess to grow until it threatened to take over meant that I worked harder, longer and with more effort to get things clean and the way they should be.
Confession, I explained to her, is the same way. By keeping "short accounts" with God for my mistakes and my sins, I have less to "clean up" with Him. The same is true in my relationships with family and close friends. Daily maintenance means that I don't have to scrub and scour my heart, only take the time to clear away things away. To start fresh and new, forgiven and restored.
"But Mommy," she wisely asked,
"If it is easier to do it every day, why don't you?"
Good question!
"Because, " I told her, "I'll find something else to do. Because I'd almost rather do ANYTHING than clean house. Because cleaning one day doesn't mean I won't have to do it the next day, and the next and the next. It's boring and tiresome. And it's discouraging that things don't stay clean."
"Taking time for confession, for my heart," I explained, "is the same way. I might have to admit to the Lord that I STILL was having trouble with doing this or not doing that. I might have to face my own stubbornness, my own indifference to changing. But regardless of my feelings, my need to 'clean house' doesn't go away."
Quiet time with my Bible later in the day brought me to a new sense of my need for God, for His forgiveness through Christ, and for the refreshing way He "restoreth my soul" and gives rest to all those who seek Him. (Psalm 23)
From our home to yours-
Deb
with
written permission.For other "musings", please see Previous Month's Musings
