Whenever Mom and Dad begin a task, I immediately present myself and ask my favorite question:
“Can I help? I’m good at things!”
I say this often, because it is true! I am gifted with tremendous intelligence, discernment, knowledge, and understanding. My curiosity and determination are limitless. I turn even the most mundane job into a game. My energy is constant and contagious. I am always ready, willing, and eager to offer my assistance with the projects Mom and Dad are working on at any given time.
Yesterday Mom cleaned out the refrigerator. After setting out every item and removable part, she wiped down the interior. She washed and dried the shelves and bins and returned them to their proper positions.
I helped in every way that I could! I sat right beside Mom’s feet, but she urged me to move out of the room so she could walk through the kitchen without the risk of stepping on me or tripping over me.
So I relocated to the countertop beside the sink. When Mom began sorting all of the food items that had been in the refrigerator, I generously donated my consulting services to this important investigation. After being told to “keep your fuzzy muzzle off that!” several times in a row, I realized she wasn’t overly enthusiastic about my assistance in this area, either.
Since my expertise was neither recognized nor appreciated, I moved into an empty crisper on the countertop and did what cats do best. I supervised.
As I watched Mom work and acknowledged that she was actually moving faster and accomplishing more without my assistance, an important thought occurred to me. I was reacting to Mom’s efforts the same way humans respond to a thorough spiritual housecleaning by their Heavenly Father!
We are curious when we see Him preparing to work. We show up excited and ready to participate as He makes positive changes in our lives!
But we soon become concerned. God reaches into areas of our lives where we don’t like to go and would never invite Him to go! He opens cellar doors we have barricaded on rooms dark with bitter anger and vengeful horrors and offers to cleanse these sinful places with His grace before our records of those who’ve wronged us begins to fester and spoil, before the stench grows strong enough to alert others to their presence.
Then we become *really* concerned! Okay, so we’ve endured the hardest part. We have acknowledged and confessed and released our resentment and our grudges. We have chosen to forgive those who have hurt us, even those who harmed us deliberately in ways that left deep and permanent scars. We will never be the same, but we have given our wounds and the responsibility for their healing to God so that we can move forward unencumbered into His plan for our lives.
But our housecleaning session is far from finished. Next, God shines His holy light into every little crevice and cubbyhole of our souls, exploring the attic of our minds and discovering long-forgotten treasures and props that we have come to regard as pieces of our identity.
We smile as sweet memories are polished and returned to their boxes for safekeeping. But God also picks up, dusts off, and reveals crutches and idols we keep tucked away as harmless and insignificant. He asks us to throw out those things that take up too much space in our lives, such as our dependence on money, on our careers, on other people. He asks us to examine whether we have shelved our personal relationship with Him in favor of religious junk food, such as Christian entertainment and events that are innocent and fun until they become the only Godly nourishment we consume, and our spiritual health begins to deteriorate. And He asks us to discard unhealthy fears and expired thought patterns that we outgrew as we matured in His grace.
But we learn that our Father knows what is right for us. As Mom sorted through the cold foods to see what needed to be thrown out, she set aside those good and beneficial items that were worth keeping.
God preserves our goodness as well. Qualities like patience, grace, mercy, and hope. Characteristics like the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Traits like these are not only aspects of our individual personalities, they are evidence of our heritage from our Father in Heaven.
We learn the importance of total maintenance. Both cats and people are notorious for grooming ourselves to present our most pleasing appearance. But smiles and purrs can hide a world of hurt, and a lifetime of unresolved distress poisons the spirit like a splinter lurking just under the skin. The fever and inflammation are obvious to those who know us, regardless of our efforts to hide it. Fastidious grooming is important. But a clean, shiny surface can only conceal the spoilage inside for so long. The sooner we allow God to clean out our spiritual and emotional closets, the less difficult and messy the process will be, and the faster we will experience genuine healing.
We learn the difference between assistance and interference. I really thought I was helping Mom when she started cleaning out the refrigerator. But as I sat back and supervised, I realized I was really only getting in her way. I was delaying her progress and slowing her down. She removed me gently from the situation without even a reprimand, because she loves me with all her heart, and she knew I was only trying to help.
I trust that Mom always has my best interests in mind. I know above all that she loves me and is constantly taking care of me. Those facts are easy to forget when she begins doing things that I don’t understand. When I do forget, she slows down, sometimes even stops what she is doing, and waits for me to move out of the way. It’s not discipline. It’s just her way of waiting for me to recognize that progress cannot be made until I take a seat in the crisper and allow her to proceed unhindered.
We learn to trust God. Like you, I am good at doing what I am created to do. I cannot do what Mom does, because I am not equipped to recognize and manage her responsibilities, which include taking care of me and my siblings.
As you grow closer to God, you will more frequently experience situations and periods of time in which you will be asked to trust God without the comfort of answered questions. He doesn’t ask you to figure everything out. He just asks you to trust Him.
When we do this, our faith grows. Our love deepens. We develop a positive outlook that shines through whatever life brings our way.
We are still welcomed to present ourselves to God and say, “Can I help? I’m good at things!” He might just put our enthusiasm and our gifts to use in another way while He continues the process of purifying and perfecting our hearts and souls.
Enjoy the process of cleaning house in your Extra~Ordinary World!
