“Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living. Let’s return to the Lord”—Lamentations 3:40(NIRV).
Yuck! How long had it been? I didn’t know, but I knew it was long overdue.
When I found myself in the mood to do some serious housework, I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning my refrigerator. While I had kept up with wiping down the inside surfaces I could see, I wasn’t excited about tackling what I knew was probably a mess in the hidden places.
If you’ve ever cleaned a refrigerator, you know what I’m talking about. Those spills you wiped off of the shelves made their way to the bottom underneath the veggie and fruit drawers. Maybe you planned to get to it later but forgot. Maybe, like me, you’re a procrastinator.
How often do we procrastinate when it comes to doing things we’d rather avoid? I know I’m guilty. In the past, I very seldom put things off. It just wasn’t in my nature. However, as I have embraced each birthday, I’ve started to examine what is important. Evidently, I’ve decided cleaning out the deep recesses of my refrigerator is not a high priority.
Before Jesus got ahold of this woman, I could tell you my priorities didn’t line up with His. Instead, I was more concerned about how things appeared on the outside. For example, my house was always clean, so clean you could have eaten off the floors most days. My now-grown sons can tell you I wasn’t the easiest mother to live with when it came to keeping our house clean.
Another priority was my exterior. Every hair had to be in place before I would walk out my front door. My make-up had to be perfectly applied and my clothing unwrinkled and spotless, lest I run into someone who might judge me for my appearance. While I still struggle with these things to a certain degree, they’re not nearly as important as they once were in my life.
As I removed the items from my refrigerator and freezer to begin a comprehensive scrubbing and disinfecting that day, I began to think how we try to hide our true selves from others. While others thought I had my life all together, inside I was filled with insecurities, doubts and secrets. But God knew.
We may try to camouflage our sins behind a mask or stuff them deep down like the dirt in the bottom of the refrigerator, but no matter how hard we try, we can’t conceal them from our Heavenly Father. Nothing is ever “hidden from [God’s] sight” (Heb. 4:13). He sees each of our failures, thoughts and motivations (1 Sam. 16:7; Luke 12:2-3).
Just as we deep clean our homes and our belongings, we must make the examination of our souls a priority. Socrates once said, “The unexamined (or unexamining) life is not worth living for a human being.”
As Christians, we should seek God for help in cleansing anything from our lives hindering us from His purpose and plan. Isn’t it time to take a good look?
Very good post! I know we’ve all been there have a fantastic day!
Thank you for your comments! Enjoy your week!
I loved this article. Very thought provoking, and spoke to my spirit. Thank you!
Thank you for taking time to comment on my post, Shirley. It is affirmation for me that I am following the Holy Spirit’s leading. May God bless you and yours always!