The guests who frequent our house these days will laugh at this
statement, might fall in the floor, or flat out call me a liar! I was once an
obsessive housekeeper. When we lived in
Dallas, Thursday meant cleaning day. Our
house looked absolutely precious and spotless at all times! Now, the closets were stuffed full and cabinets
were never in excellent order, but everything looked fabulous!
I must confess though, my obsession caused my first
motherhood fail. My oldest rolled out
of a chair when she was only a month old; when I ran to the back of the house
to get my “Swifter” mop. Oh, I cried and cried!
I questioned my ability to parent; however, parenting was not the real
issue. The real problem stemmed from my tidy house obsession.
When we moved to the country, I miraculously kept up the
pace! It took the dust a year or so to
settle down, although my husband quickly planted grass seed. He watered and nurtured it day after day,
year after year. Thanks to him, eventually the dirt subsided and the Bermuda
took over.
However, kids romping meant there was always a thin layer of
grime. So, I dusted, cleaned, hired help, and went through two robot vacuum
cleaners in no time at all. When we were outside or not home, my robot friend was
working. Sadly, Roomba was a new
invention at the time and not durable enough for the workload she battled here.
I gave up and went back to my traditional vacuum, because the show had to go
on!
What happened? Something
sure did! One of my daughter’s friends
recently asked if I even owned a vacuum.
I can go to bed with dishes in my sink and leave for an entire weekend
without my chores complete. The change
was gradual…one woman in particular shared her housework battle with us in a
Bible Study. She called it a spiritual stronghold. From studying Beth Moore’s “Breaking Free,” I
knew that meant big business. She also
had a large family. The Lord revealed to
her that her attitude/obsession with her house was sin. Her words woke me
up!
Khris Roller opened my eyes to my own priority problem, and
then cancer kept them wide open. I never
viewed laundry again as an immediate need. I learned it could wait if there was
someone who needed my attention. The
Lord healed me of cancer, but also of much more during that season of life.
Sadly, I have forgotten some of the lessons I learned, allowed junk to creep
back in. Life sure is a process and a
daily battle of obedience and staying in the Word.
Where am I going with this “Good Housekeeping” saga? Well, I
broke down for my birthday and ordered a new robot vacuum! After hours of research and using my parent’s
robot for a trial run, I proudly submitted my online purchase. I love my new friend.
Now, do not get me wrong! Dishes are currently overflowing
from my sink and my windows are a travesty. My only obsession for at least the
next four years around here will be my family!
However, my robot vacuum is truly awesome!
You might say I came full circle with this deal and learned
lots of lessons along the way. Life is
all about successes and failures, tests and testimonies, messes and messages. Thankfully, we are never alone. We can
walk and talk with Jesus every step of the way. Psalm 118:14 says “The Lord is my strength
and my song; he has become my salvation.”
Have a blessed week and remember the Lord is with you.
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