There’s something about the thought of company coming that puts me into super cleaning mode. Yes, like Wonder Woman with a dust cloth, scrub brush and bottles of cleaner. If you’re like me, you clean regularly, but when company is on the way, you notice little smudges and stains that don’t usually catch your attention.
I start in the guest room, attacking any evil cobwebs, straightening the closet, putting crisp clean sheets on the bed and vacuuming away any speck of dust or dirt that had the nerve to be there.
I move on to the guest bath. How in the world had I not noticed those soap spots on the shower head before now? And what about that vanity drawer that somehow always seems to become the junk drawer? I mean, after all, my company might look there and think I’m a horrible housekeeper!
The process continues through every room in the house and then moves outside. The driveway, deck and porches must be swept, tables and chairs wiped off, and new flowers planted–noticing one thing leads to another.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. When’s the last time we did a major clean-up of our hearts, when we took a close look to see what needs to be done? Just as I fling those blinds open and turn on the lights so I can see any dirt or dust, I need to ask God to put a spotlight on anything that He thinks needs to be cleaned or polished in my life.
Whenever Jesus comes to visit, I want to be ready. I want Him to see that I cared enough to clean out all the junk, that I polished every surface so it would be clean and beautiful for Him. How about you?
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)
