I have a terrible secret. The time has come. I can’t hold it in any longer – I must confess it.
I do not like cleaning my house.
Its unfortunate because I like a clean house. I don’t enjoy stepping in sticky places in front of my fridge. I want to crawl into a well made bed at night. I’m irritated when I step on a gold fish and the crumbs stick in my socks for the rest of the day. And I want the dishes to be done, not left in the sink. I just don’t enjoy what it takes to accomplish it.
Overall, I do keep a fairly clean home. But I can’t say the chores are always done with a smile on my face or a glowing heart. It’s not that I didn’t have a good example growing up. My mother’s house was spotless. ALWAYS. She worked on weekdays, we cleaned on Saturdays. But there was never a question ; Should I leave this dish on the table, or on the kitchen counter instead of loading it into the dishwasher? Absolutely not. Should I make my bed? Definitely. I appreciate these habits my mom instilled in us.
Let me share a true story about my cleaning habits…
Yesterday evening my husband arrived home. He brought with him the cash for our weekly grocery budget. I was extremely excited because Thanksgiving is next week and since I love to cook and bake around the holidays I had a lot planned for that cash. As I began counting the bills, it wasn’t all there. I looked at him and said, a bit demanding, “Where’s the rest? I need all of it!” He said, “They were collecting funds for a needy family, so I threw forty dollars in the pot.” I had no response, but I was thinking, “How could you give away $40?” I could feel him looking at me.
His stare was like a bright light, illuminating a dark corner of my heart. There, in the ‘way back’ of my heart, selflessness had given way to ugly cobwebs – threads of selfishness woven together with materialism. I hadn’t been doing my cleaning and it was obvious.
A thought crossed my mind – why am I so concerned with my elaborate dinner and my holiday baking that I would be willing to let someone else go without a meal.
Normally, I long to have a generous heart- even if it means sacrifice. However without diligence, these holy desires can fade and new, self seeking ones appear. No doubt – immediate cleaning was in order. So I found a quiet spot, and I prayed for God to clear out those cobwebs. It wasn’t the first time, I’m sure it won’t be the last.
“Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation.”
Within moments I knew, forgiveness was mine. Joy welled up inside at the thought of someone else enjoying their Thanksgiving at our expense. Its a true story. And now, I’ve got work to do. The cleaning is calling my name; its Saturday…
(originally written November 22, 2009)
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