You’ve heard that saying before, maybe your mother even told you that cleanliness is next to Godliness. I invite you to look at the picture above. Other than the cute toys in the corner, there is no feeling of life in this picture. To me it almost looks like a sterile hospital waiting room.
First of all, that saying is not in the bible…anywhere. In fact, God doesn’t speak much about cleaning unless it comes to our inner cleanliness and sanctification.
I’m writing this post , I wanted to encourage those of you who feel like you must have it all together, including a clean house 24/7. Some of the most humble, Christ-like people I have ever known have some of the messiest houses I’ve ever seen. I’m not condoning being messy or disorderly, but I want us all to give ourselves a break if our dishes pile up this week. I want us to focus so much more on God, loving family and friends, serving the less fortunate, than on having glass houses of perfection.
God is a God of order, not confusion and I think it’s good to tidy up every once in a while, but first I want us to 1.) Let go of the condemnation of being messy and 2.) Learn the ultimate secret to be orderly but not obsessively clean.
I’m not the most organized person ever, but one thing I have learned in keeping a clean house is to clean as you go. Yup, that’s it, that’s the secret. Whether you’re cleaning your kitchen, room, kids spaces, or even the garage, just clean as you make the messes. This keeps momentum going and helps things from getting out of hand. I’m a big fan of multi-tasking when it comes to the mundane tasks of life, so I often cook and while waiting for food to be done, I do the dishes. Or doing laundry while at home cooking, etc.
Another helpful tip is to organize 1 small area each day in addition to cleaning as you go. Take on the tupperware cabinet, the medicine cabinet, your closet, the gift wrapping storage bin, etc. Limit yourself to 15 minutes and if you don’t get done, come back to it the next day.
If you have any questions on this, feel free to click on the Contact Me tab at the top, I’m happy to answer your emails.
Also, remember the sweet story of Mary & Martha. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him while Martha was busy with the household duties and it seemed Martha was a little perturbed that Mary was so free. But Jesus said that Mary had chosen better, and that it would not be taken from her. I pray we never forsake time with our precious Father and get up earlier only to finish a load of dishes. Once our priorities are in line, I think we’ll find we can accomplish so much more than we set out to in the first place…
~Happy Cleaning My Friends!