There is an adage that says, “A woman’s work is never done.” I would guess many people are familiar with it. Perhaps lesser known is the first part of the quote by Jean Little which reads, “A man may work from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done.”
We can surmise from this quote that life takes work, and often that work is ongoing and repetitive.
Let’s use cleaning as an example. Have you ever spent an entire day cleaning? Armed with brooms, vacuums, dust rags and any other tool in your cleaning arsenal, you set out to get the job done. Painstakingly you search for every dust bunny, strand of pet hair, spider web and so on.
Exhausted and satisfied after a day’s work from sunup to sundown, you declare, “It is finished!” Only then do you allow yourself to sit. The next morning, to your dismay, the sun shines perfectly through the windows exposing unwanted dirt, crumbs, or pet hair. In that moment of disbelief and frustration, you have a decision to make.
One option is to pull the shades and block the sun from exposing those areas. When this has happened to me, I have at times chosen to avoid a room all together until the sun is no longer directly shining in the window. When the sunlight passes, the debris seems to retreat into the shadows giving the room the appearance of being spotless. Even though I know the reality of what is hidden in the darkness, I can temporarily sweep the truth under the rug leaving it to be dealt with “another day.”
The second option is to welcome the revealing light as a helper pointing out areas in need of immediate attention. Ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away but serves only to make a bigger mess.
Also, a house tends to stay cleaner when there is only one person occupying it. Have you ever thought something to the effect of, “It took me all day to clean, and you came in and have undone my work in a matter of minutes”?
The reality is we don’t live in a vacuum. Life and relationships can be messy but mixed in the mess is joy. Consider a The reality is we don’t live in a vacuum. Life and relationships can be messy but mixed in the mess is joy. Consider a child’s room, the clutter can be exasperating. Working together to restore order, teachable moments occur, memories are forged, and relationships strengthened.
We must make peace with caring for our homes, while at the same time accepting the fact we will not achieve a perfect level of cleanliness. Resigning ourselves to this simple notion has the power to liberate us to enjoy life more fully.
These principles hold true in matters related to having a clean spiritual house. Removing from our hearts the dirt of sin, crumbs of gossip, strands of anger and so on is a lifelong endeavor. Our cleaning tools include the Word of God (the Bible), relationships with Bible believing family/friends, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, The Helper.
If we try to become better people in our own strength, we fall into the danger of allowing ourselves a moment to relax in the feeling of being above reproach or better than others. Then in God’s timing, the Son rises to shine into the hard-to-reach corners of our heart and reveals unclean thoughts, attitudes, unforgiveness and so forth.
When God brings to light the condition of our hearts through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we have a choice to make. We can avoid the issue and try to cast the truth into the darkness of denial. However, this approach only serves to deceive us.
The second option is to immediately embrace the revealing light of the Holy Spirit and get to work. By taking swift action, our peace will be restored, and we can move on with a clean conscience.
We will never have our spiritual houses perfectly in order while we are still living in our bodies, (spirit homes). It is liberating to know that while we were yet sinners, God loved us and died for us, as stated in Romans 5:8. God’s gift of grace gives us the freedom to enjoy our lives despite our imperfections. Try as we might, we should not expect to attain perfection on this side of heaven.
The more isolated our lifestyle the increased risk of delusion that our thoughts and attitudes are without blemish. Relationships can be messy, testing every part of us. Through the process of conversation in the light of God’s Word, we can clean up any emotional clutter, while at the same time strengthen bonds, forge memories, and shine for Jesus.
When Jesus said from the cross “It is finished!”, he opened the door for us to enter a relationship with him through His completed work and find rest. Only after Jesus’ completed work on the cross did he finally sit down.
Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts waiting for us to let him just as we are. You don’t hire a housekeeper then clean the house before you let them in. Nor should you think that you must clean up your act before you let Jesus into your heart. What spring cleaning is on your to do list? Embrace the fact, “Cleaning … Is Never Done” “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?’” Proverbs 20: 9 “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” Luke 12:2 “…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5b-7 “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty (the Father) in heaven.” Hebrews 1: 3b “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
