How do you approach cleaning?

• I enjoy the process and a sense of accomplishment from it.
• I tolerate it as an unwelcome necessity of life.
• I loathe it and will make about any excuse to avoid it.

I cleaned today – not because I expect company or because I had nothing better to do, but because the weekend is nearly here, which means more people will be home for extended hours. To me, a clean house is a comfortable home. Perhaps you’d rationalize that if several people will be home, it’s better to wait until everyone returns to school and work, since the house will get dirtier with everyone in it. The same reasoning applies when you excuse making your bed in the morning because you’ll get into it again at the end of the day.
As I was cleaning today, I realized it’s not the act of cleaning that thrills me. I only enjoy the process of cleaning because I anticipate the end result: a comfortable house in which I can relax because the dust bunnies aren’t peering at me from under furniture. I’m refreshed in a house full of clean smells.

It’s the same with spiritual growth. I’m not thrilled with the process. It’s messy, inconvenient, and sometimes painful. However, the result is a maturing relationship with Jesus. I won’t enjoy the comfort of a close relationship without letting Him cleanse my life. He gets rid of the accumulating dust bunnies. He sanitizes the toxic surfaces. He washes away the filth to refresh me.

Look around your house or office. What needs to be done to clean it?

Cleaning will take time and effort.

Look at your heart. What needs to be done to clean it?

Cleaning will take time and effort, but Jesus will take care of it – if you let Him.

Action Step: Choose one cleaning project to complete in the next three minutes. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with what needs to get done, but it only takes one small step at a time. Set yourself up for a sense of accomplishment.