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It
May Be Messy, But We Live Here
By Jerri
Phillips
Before I started
writing this, I went to the kitchen to
get something to drink and something to
eat. On the way, I passed through our
living area. There are toys all over that
floor. While I was out tutoring tonight,
Rob and the children evidently had a
lovely time playing with balls, balloons,
and their musical instruments, just to
name a few things. And truthfully, I
don't mind. A day, in the not so far away
future, will come when we will have no
toys on the floor, and I will miss
finding blocks in my purse and glow in
the dark stars in my baking mitts. But,
for today, the toys abound in my floor.
Now, I have no intention of leaving it
that way. I'll pick up the toys before we
go to bed, but tomorrow, I'll find more
toys scattered throughout the house. The
bathroom that I cleaned last week will
have a new layer of fingerprints that
needs to be removed. The tile floors
already need to be mopped because of the
dirt we tracked in while landscaping over
the weekend. I clean only to find more
dirt appears. I clean the kitchen after
breakfast, and by lunch, it has dishes
again, or something is out of place.
Maybe some people's houses reach the
proverbial "perfect state", but
not mine, and that's okay with me because
it is still functional.
I don't have to find a new house just
because this one has toys on the floor.
We can still sit on the sofa and read. We
can enjoy the fireplace or eat dinner. We
don't have to go to the gas station down
the street because the bathroom mirror is
spotted and blurred from children's
splatters. Despite the fingerprints,
toys, and dirt, we can still be happy
living here. When it comes to
cleanliness, our house may not be
perfect, but it still fulfills its role.
Our bodies are the home of the Holy
Spirit. They aren't perfect. There is
some messiness around. There always will
be. We should not equate the
imperfections with impossibilities. Too
often satan tries to convince us that we
are not perfect enough to be powerful.
That is simply not true. First of all,
none of us are perfect, and we never will
be this side of eternity. However, Paul
says that it is in our weakness that we
are made strong. The Holy Spirit can take
willing vessels and do wondrous things,
even if they are imperfect.
However, like me, the Spirit cannot
tolerate continued mess. As soon as He
comes to live in you, He is going to
start cleaning up. Understand that He
isn't cleaning because He hates the
house. He is cleaning to make the house
comfortable and more His home. He likes
things clean and tidy. It gives Him room
to function better. Just as you cannot do
much in a room filled with boxes, He
cannot do much in a "room"
filled with unforgiveness or sin, so He
starts cleaning. The more He cleans, the
more functional His abode becomes to Him.
Will you ever be immaculate? No, but that
doesn't mean you are totally useless. I'm
not boycotting my kitchen because my
garage is full of yard work supplies, and
you shouldn't either. Allow the Spirit to
use what is available now knowing the
rest of the house will follow in time.
Remember, even a small lean-to can
protect someone from the rain. With the
power of the Spirit, imagine what He can
do with you!
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