Clean House!

Photo by Tracey Hocking

In a former life, I loved to entertain guests in my home. I still enjoy having company, but in a more relaxed, down-home manner without all the fine- dining hoopla. There was a time when I entertained quite a bit, but as life
goes, seasons have changed, and single-parenting two kids has become my reality. So, I have not really had the opportunity as of late. Well, not until this morning. Before I finished my first aroma-filled cup of piping hot coffee, there were two, spontaneous visitors, each unaware of the other, heading my way. This NEVER happens and sheer excitement flooded my soul! That is, until I took a quick glance at my not so tidy surroundings. Now that I could see clearly without the sleepy and utter elation clouding my vision, I yelled, "O dear Lord, my house!"

Disarray does not even describe what I was beholding on this glorious morning. I leapt from my cozy spot on the sofa with the Ninja swiftness that takes over like Superman headed to the telephone booth for his superhero transformation. Adrenaline kicked in and I accomplished more in twenty minutes than I had been able to in two weeks. This yawning mom emerged as a Mary Poppins-Molly-Maid-Super-Closet-Stuffer starring in my very own Swiffer commercial.

Of course, once the guests arrived, cobwebs sprang to life in the corners of every room. Dust took on an iridescent glow shouting shamelessly at me, "Missed me, missed me!" Hidden areas that are often neglected with a quick, surface cleaning were now aglow as if under the spotlight at a museum of messy homes. Thankfully, my unexpected drop-ins love me whether my house is spotless or not...usually not. They know me; they love me. Do not judge.

During my cleaning frenzy, I began to think about how we are very much the same with our Jesus. We ask for forgiveness, swear to never repeat those besetting sins, and pay homage to the King of Kings, especially if we want something from Him. This repetitive cycle is proof we invite our Lord into our lives as a guest and not as a permanent resident to dwell within us. Otherwise, our everyday lives would be a reflection of His presence. While it is true our sins are forgiven, it is crucial to address those deep-seated things that cause us to sin in the first place. We all have hidden areas that a surface clean or a quick polish will not touch. David wrote in Psalm 19:12, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults." We need a deep, thorough cleansing that can come only by the Almighty. Jesus scolded the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25 by saying, 

"For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy--full of greed and self-indulgence...First wash in the inside..."

An honest introspection of the heart is vital in the cleansing process. Shakespeare's "to thine own self be true" rings in my ears in a different tune than was written in the 1600's. Truly, if you cannot be real with yourself, how will you ever be real with others? We rush to "clean up" ourselves for the sake of our pride and for the benefit of those we hope to impress. If we were to be truthful, the real motive is to bamboozle others with the fictitious personas we have created. Pride, out of balance, can create deception, a bogus version of ourselves that we begin to believe is real. Thus, making our very existence duplicitous by living a life in contradiction to the one we portray to others. We are nothing more than a façade, a fraud, a big, fat lie.

Maybe the lie started with something as seemingly benign as never leaving your house without perfectly applied makeup or getting to work late and leaving early so no one knows what kind of vehicle you own or that you must take advantage of public transportation. Perhaps the deception is hiding your emotions behind a plastic, poker face or covering the bruises of an abusive relationship. For me, it is to crop the photo to hide the messiness in the background, to miraculously appear thinner, or maybe enlisting photo filters to erase from the snapshot the crow's feet that have recently appeared at the corners of my aging eyes. That is not to say that we should not want to look our best, but if it takes 30 minutes to doctor a photo into an unrealistic version of yourself, you might as well not share the picture if the image is not a true depiction of you. You are who people want to see not a made-up version of yourself. Unfortunately, social media is an obvious facilitator and more likely an instigator of such behavior. For fear of dragging that topic on to eternity, I will let the Facebook debacle rest here.

As Christians in this world of fabrication, authenticity is imperative. Jesus' life on earth was genuine. He did not change His appearance with the ever-changing crowd or the criticism of the Pharisees. His message did not change depending on the venue. He was who He was on earth and IS forever the same. If we are to be Christ-like, shouldn't we be the same regardless of who is watching, attending our church service for the first time, reading our Facebook posts, or following us on Twitter? All that we do, all that we are should point to Him!

2 Corinthians 7:1, "...let us clean ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God."