Spring Cleaning

My week of rest apparently meant I took a week off from everything but the necessities, including blogging. I didn't even wash my hair for the better part of 5 days. Take that Spring Break! I do have the beginning stages of a few different blog post though, so there's that. Possibly expect to see a flood of post in the next few days...

Monday morning and my hair is only one day dirty, there's progress. I've already worked this morning, starting at 5:34am (because I can never get there right at 5:30 as scheduled) and I'm currently on hold with the government healthcare market place... so I'm going to use this hold music as fuel.

This past Saturday night consisted of a full on sleep over. 2 dogs, 3 kids, 4 twenty something girls. All crammed into a two bedroom apartment. Just a cozy little [big] mess.

Typically I make my bed every (mid) morning and I won't go to sleep with dishes in the sink, unless I fall asleep on the couch. You know, the "normal" house keeping task hammered into a person by their parental figures form an early age.

When someone comes to my home for the first time, I like to have at least a 5 minute warning. Long enough to straighten all the pillows, throw the dirty clothes basket in the bathtub behind the shower curtain if need be (no judging here, you know you've done something similar), wipe the counters, push in the chairs around the dining table, brew a cup of coffee, then have a seat so when they actually walk in they truly believe my house always looks like an issue of Country Living.

The second time you come over you will get similar treatment, although the pillows may be a little messy and there's a chance residue from lunch will be atop the counters.

Now, the more frequently you come into my home, chances are I won't even bother putting on real clothes (pajamas and a bath robe are my fav), let alone straighten every pillow or bother to hide the clothes hamper.

During this big sleep over Saturday me and the 3 kiddos popped some pop corn and watched "Yours Mine and Ours". Sorry mom, when you come to big sisters house, no bed time rules! Readers digest version of the movie: huge families marry into one another, 18 kids later - disaster after disaster, happiness.

At the beginning of the movie the mom (who happened to be hippie like and have red hair) said "Homes are for free expressions, not for good impressions." I heard that and thought it was pretty good, intended to write it down, but my hands were covered in some boxed muffin mix as I was preparing for what would be the morning breakfast. So I kept listening as I was stirring. Once the muffins were in the oven and all the dishes were in the dishwasher, I finally settled into the couch with my boy Noah. Then, mid-movie the mom says it again...

"Homes are for free expressions, not for good impressions"

This time I grabbed my phone and jotted it down. I knew it had some significance, in some way.

I started thinking about all of my issues and how I am so concerned with the impression my home gives off to new guest. Those who know me well experience the mess and all its glory, but through that they see me for me. They are a part of that Free Expression.

This got me thinking again, but... on a bit of a deeper level.

The way I feel when someone new enters my home could be compared to the way most people feel when coming before God. We are so concerned with tidying up and sweeping our issues under the carpet, we sometimes don't even allow God in. Not to the real us, anyway. I did that for years. I would sweep my sin away, acting as if it never happened. The moment I truly came face to face with this mighty graceful God I serve I realized, He is the ultimate housekeeper. Not only is He here to help us clean house, but He wants to. He longs to take our baggage (hidden laundry hampers and all), to set us free from the need to cover things up in our lives. He desires to be welcomed into our mess. 

I want to encourage you to stop being so concerned with how you present yourself before The Lord, because His deepest desire is that you simply come before Him. Acknowledge who He is, glorify Him. Then watch as His grace unfolds around you.  

The Scripture says "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up", what a fabulous promise from God! You can find that in James 4:10. If you keep reading the book of James, in chapter 5 there is a verse that completely changed my view of who God is and how He viewed me. Verse 16 says, "therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective".

Healing. So often we only associate the word healing with physical elements, but why limit Gods healing power to that of only the body? How much more does He want to heal our spirits, our souls? 

From the moment He healed the entire person of who I was, I have never been the same. Walking in bondage is no fun, but God can set you totally free if only you allow Him to clean a little house.

My prayer for you today is that you do a little spring cleaning, in whatever area of your life that needs it most. 

- Kris 


PS... 55 minutes later, the market place finally put me through to a real person! Hurray! Health Insurance is one step closer...