My Dirty Little Secret

Last week, for the first time EVER, I started spring cleaning... I've done bits and pieces before all throughout the year, but this year I'm doing the gross stuff first and thoroughly. People tell me my house is so clean, but they don't see the hidden stuff...

 Like under the fridge

When we moved in to this house, the property managers had not cleaned. The walls were covered with spaghetti sauce splatter, the window tracks were dirty, the windows were were smudged and the fridge had things growing out from under it. We just kept thinking we would move every year... and then they could deal with it. (I know... wrong attitude!) but I was mad. Now it's been almost 5 years! It was just so gross! 

Cliff and I recently watched a Seinfeld episode where Jerry returns a jacket because he didn't like the person who sold it to him. When they asked him the reason for the return he said, "Spite." That's why I never tackled this project before... spite!

So this year I finally swallowed my pride and my spite. I felt my blood pressure lower about 15 points after that job was done. Let me just say Cliff is a saint! Well he already was, but now he's like a super saint!

The kids joined in the "fun" and helped out a lot. They cleaned windows as I cleaned the window tracks and checked their work. They sang and danced and cleaned as the clarity slowly returned.

 Cliff cleaned the algae filled skylight in our room...

And I got down on my hands and knees and pondered my life as I usually do when cleaning or weeding the yard. My friend Ashley and I agree that gardening and cleaning are very spiritual experiences for us. We think things like...

"I've got to clear these weeds from my life... and get at them from the roots."

"There is just so much dirt. I need to live a pure life."

"Why do I let the grime stay so long?"

Then I got a deep gash in my finger and the blood started to freely flow. I squeezed it to bleed even more before the germs got in.

The blood washed my finger clean. And then I realize that I don't need to work on the dirt and sin in my life.

Jesus already bled for my sins.

He bled so I could be clean. There's no more guilt and shame. I am clean already. :)

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for the those who are in Christ Jesus."

I've come to conclude that my life is a lot like the dirt under the fridge. No one can see under there. But I know it's there... even though sometimes it's pretty easy to pretend that it's not.

It's filthy. My dirty little secret gnawing away at me. No one knows the struggles of my spiritual life either. We are experts at hiding the unsightly things of our spirit and thought life aren't we?

Cliff thinks these analogies are silly... and I know he just thought he was doing me a favor, but I love how life gives us opportunities to think about Jesus and what He's done for us.

Cleaning the filth of our home has been liberating, but spending time with the only One who can clean my personal spiritual home is even more so.

And now I have a renewed vigor to keep the home clean and to allow my attitude and thought life to be washed and renewed by the Word on a very regular basis :)

Titus 3:4-6 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior..."

Continuing thankfulness...

22. that Jesus paid the price once for all
23. that under my fridge is clean
24. for singing children
25. for analogies that get me thinking
26. for freedom
27. for blood
28. that the Word renews my mind with each new reading even when I've already read it before... because it is alive