Clean House Clean Heart

Confessions of a Homemaker…
“This really sucks!” I say with joy as I push my new vacuum around the floor.  It is a pun that I learned from my dad when I was a child to refer to the suction of [easyazon_link identifier=”B01KKCI9GE” locale=”US” tag=”keepofthehome-20″]the vacuum[/easyazon_link].  I get to clean my home.  While others complain, I rejoice because I love seeing dirt being sucked up and off my floors.  When I signed up for this gig (the wife gig), how could I possibly know what a joy it would actually be to serve Christ in my home.

When I was a child, cleaning was a burden.  I felt the nagging of my parents to get me off whatever I wanted to do, to do the work that was expected of me.  I did the work well.  Sometimes the work felt freeing, but I was working under a task master.  I hated to be told what to do.  There was a satisfaction for completing my job and doing it well.  I knew that the cleaning I was doing was getting me closer to my goal which was to do what I wanted to do all along.  Work was in the way of freedom.  Each day would bring another burden and another hurdle to jump.  I never felt true freedom.

I would shove my dirt and mess in areas that were hidden from the human eye and that of the parent.  I could hide lumps of papers, sweep dirt under the rugs, and make my room look as though it was put together properly.  People could walk past my room and it would look orderly.  My mother would open the drawer to find my mess and she would plop it all back on the floor and tell me it had better get sorted correctly.  I could not hide from mom.  She knew I was a hoarder and a surface cleaner.

I loved to surprise mom.  When she was not expecting or telling me to clean, I would love to clean for her so that when she arrived home, she could praise me. I was doing something that showed that I loved her with a willingness in my heart.  God loves a cheerful giver.

When I got married, my husband married my messes.  I struggled to find joy in cleaning.  The tendency to stuff things out of sight was definitely still an issue.  I never knew where anything was and I lived in a state of chaos.  It was a burden to me because I knew that, behind the closed doors of closets or kitchen cupboards, it was a terrible mess.  As I began to chip away at each area that needed cleaning, I found that it was freeing.  I found true joy.  In fact, I love cleaning.  It is no longer a burden to me but a strong JOY.  While others might say the same phrase (which I won’t repeat if it is used as a vulgar phrase) because they hate the burden of keeping their home, I say with a big smile on my face, “This really sucks!” as I see the floors becoming cleaner by the suction of this amazing vacuum.  Just as I enjoy cleaning up my home, I see God enjoying cleaning up our lives.  He shines the light into our hearts and exposes all the dirt, and lovingly washes us clean again.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10

The picture of salvation through the eyes of a homemaker…

Before we knew Jesus, we worked.  Like obeying the law.  We saw God as a taskmaster who was going to punish us for not doing our work.  The work was a burden.  We hid our messes and tried to make ourselves look clean from the outside.  We worked to be good.  We struggled to get the job done so we could please God and earn a spot in heaven.  We knew we could never be good enough and our burden just became heavier each day until we broke.  Once we see our messes for what they truly are and that our work will never be finished because there is no way we could finish a job that was not ours to begin with, we find true salvation.

When we realize only Christ could finish the job, we cease from our work.  He stretched out his arms and said “It is finished”.  As we trust in His work, the burden we once felt becomes a joy.  We no longer make God our debtor, thinking he owes us for the good we have done, we are so thankful, so humble for the price he paid for our souls, that we offer him all that we are.  We now find the work freeing.  It is easy to do something when there is no expectation.  Just like when I was a little girl, I wanted to clean for my mother when she did not ask because I loved her.  My mother always appreciated it when I would do nice things for her when she least expected it.  My father in heaven rejoices when I willingly serve him out of a pure heart of thanksgiving because I love him back.  For, He first loved me!  

Cleaning my home is a joy!  It is a privilege.  It is my calling.  I can be busy cleaning, serving, cooking, and taking care of my family and I am truly doing something with purpose.  It is my ministry.  It is as freeing to me as dancing in the sunshine.  I am honoring God when I clean my home.

Maybe you feel the burden.  You might live in a mess because you were never taught. Your marriage might be a mess.  You feel like life is a burden.  It is hard right now for you because you have not found the secret to joy.  Maybe you are hiding from God.  You might be grumbling about your lot in life because you don’t know how to be happy.  You think you might be happy if this or that worked out.  If only you could have more money, a prettier home, that homestead you dream of, better looks, a sweeter husband, sweeter kids, or maybe a thinner waistline.  Who knows what you are seeking after, except you and God who knows your heart.  All I know is that there is so much to be thankful for and finding joy in vacuuming my floor, serving my family is truly a gift to me.  I know what it is to be in your spot.  I have been there, feeling so down and so burdened by life.  Little by little I started to pick up the tools God gave me to overcome.  I started to allow Christ to be my source of joy.  I allowed his work on the cross to be enough.

Here is the secret…

Jesus is enough for YOU.  His finished work at the cross and the eternal gift you get from believing is sufficient for ALL.  It is FREE.  It is SIMPLE.

Life is like a cake.  Imagine Jesus. If he is the cake, you already have something sweet.  Everything else in life, to me, is the icing on the cake.  I can take it or leave it.  Having Jesus is the cake of life.  It keeps us fed.  Anything above that just makes it sweeter.

It is fun to serve God.  I love it.  I love that I never have to leave my home to serve Jesus.  I can keep my doors open for others to come and bask in the love that Jesus gave me to pour out to others.  It is fun to cheer people up by giving them a cup of tea.  Wow.  I can pour a cup of tea, give my neighbor a warm hug and I am doing the will of God?  Yes.  I can dust my hutch and serve God? You bet!  What a blessing to be a humble homemaker!  I pray you find this message an encouragement, where ever you are in your journey today.

Quit working because you have to, work because it is a joy to serve Jesus.  It is a matter of perspective and a matter of willingly choosing to be joyful in all you do.

Please leave a comment if this post spoke to your heart.  I would love to hear from you.  I love you all!  Have a blessed day!

~Erin