This weekend we decided to "clean" the house. Our house is usually pretty tidy, but since we were both home on Monday we decided to give our house good deep clean. I'm satisfied with a house that's "clean enough" whereas Santino wants a CLEAN house (as in moving furniture and dusting underneath-not just around, like I usually do). I was firm in believing our house was pretty clean until we started moving things around. I couldn't believe how much dust, cobwebs, and filth we had in our house!
Immediately I thought . . . wow . . . so our house APPEARS clean, but really when you get below the surface, it's a mess!
I immediately thought about the spiritual implications. Don't we do such a good job "appearing" clean, appearing like we've got it all together, appearing like we love those around us, appearing very "religious and holy"? But, we know if people get in and start moving things around, they'd find a mess!
I thought of Jesus' rebuke to the Pharisees:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27-28)
I wonder when we'll stop pretending like the mess isn't there? When will we stop focusing on keeping things "tidy" or "clean enough" only to disguise the mess that's within? What if we moved the furniture around to get underneath and clean out those cobwebs? Shined light in the darkness so the mess stops growing? I wonder when we'll enter into relationships that tell us "clean enough isn't good enough"? Who in our life will challenge us to deepen, to keep us from cleaning only on a surface level?
Oh LORD, forbid us to be like the Pharisees! Helps us to be uneasy in hypocrisy and honest about our mess. Keep us from the outward appearance and renew us from within.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
great post. glad i stumbled upon you.
ReplyDeletei use to say that "i was like my house. i look clean and together from first glance, but a closer look reveals that my closets are a mess."
over the last 6 years i've worked hard (in Christ) to have clean closets literally and spiritually.