The Hidden Places
Yesterday, I woke up with a burning conviction…
Clean the house or burn it down.
You might be relieved to know that I chose the former rather than the latter which seems to be the wiser and less dramatic choice. I am nothing if not a practical drama queen.
Now, if you know me at all or have ever been to my house, you can probably attest to the fact that it is almost never overwhelmingly messy. In fact, it is usually pretty well kept. I don’t say this to brag, but rather to confess and give insight into my psychosis. Seriously, I’m a crazy person!
Nearly a decade ago, when I was operating at optimum housewife status as a working wife with one or fewer children, keeping house was easy. Why, you ask? Because I had a chart to tell me what to clean on which days, and every Saturday was a deep cleaning day where one area of the house got a full once over. (Side Note: Once, sweet husband said, “You do realize the dishes can actually touch the sink, right? They can sit there for a minute before going in the dishwasher. It will be okay.”) Bless my sweet little heart.
These days, I do well to keep up the visible spaces, but deep cleaning weekly has long since left my vocabulary as I generally do my best to make sure the zoo does not look like it’s been overtaken by the monkeys and hope for the best.
But this was different. I woke up with an overwhelming need to clean out the hidden places. Cobwebs and dust bunnies. The areas that had been long neglected. Under the furniture that had been firmly placed years ago. Under the bed that I make daily so I can start the morning fresh and put together.
Underneath it all, there was lots to clean.
A day full of vacuuming, wiping down, moving around, and peering underneath. And when it was all said and done, to be truthful, my house looked much the same. I had started with the appearance of a well-kept house, after all. But I felt so much better knowing all the dark corners had been wiped clean. That there was nothing lurking in the hidden places.
Now that the day is done, the metaphor of it all is not lost on me.
It’s easy to keep the appearance of a well-kept life. But how’s your heart? How are you in the corners and dark places that haven’t been touched in a while? Are you harboring past hurts from dark seasons of your life or shame from failures that should have long been swept away? What’s visible looks great from the outside, but what is crowding the places that no one sees?
It’s not enough that we look lovely on the outside. It is far more important that we allow our hearts to be changed and moved by grace so that every hidden corner can be made whole.
It’s a new day. A day to wake up, start fresh, and allow God to come in and clean out the closed off places in our lives. There is refreshing in renewing every corner. He longs to do that for you today.
Refresh your heart.
Renew your mind.
Restore your life.
Just let Him in to the hidden places.
