Spring cleaning is an exhausting task on two levels. First there is the actual cleaning work itself but then there is the multitude of decisions that have to be made around what you are going to keep and what you are going to throw away.
My wife and I took this past weekend to do some Spring cleaning. We spent two evenings cleaning the house from top to bottom. By the second evening I did not see sleep until 3:30am falling into bed exhausted.
Spring cleaning is an exhausting task on two levels. First there is the actual cleaning work itself but then there is the multitude of decisions that have to be made around what you are going to keep and what you are going to throw away.
If you are anything like me, the decision part is the most tiring of all. I wouldn't consider myself to be a hoarder but I can find a use for most things I find. Of course my wife might not always agree with some of the uses I find for things.Having a clean house feels great but with two kids and a busy schedule, how long will this last? The battle between me and clutter for the possesion of my home is ON! I have to pay attention to every item coming into the house and make sure that there is a place and use for it otherwise be prepared to show it the door. A minute spent putting something away now will save me and hour spent down the road.
My Total Recovery is very much like a spring cleaning. God wants to take all the dross (junk) out of my life so that my faith can be like refined pure gold. (1 Peter 1:7 and Rev 3:18) Gods idea of junk and my idea may not always line up. Something that God sees as harmful may be something I want to hold onto. This can cause me to have attitudes with God and feel that I am being victimized. However consider the following, if a child finds a box of matches they can be fasciniated by them and their color and shape. If they light one they will be transfixed by the fire without knowing the dangers. Any normal adult seeing this situation will take the matches away instantly wanting to protect the child. However the child may view it that you are just ruining their fun and are mean etc etc. God protects us from events we cannot possibly foresee.
Working our total recovery means that we want what God wants however painful it may be. It is a daily battle with some days better than others but in which we do not give up. Just as it is so much more pleasant to come home to a clean house rather than a cluttered one, it is far more pleasant to have a life uncluttered with the parts of us that God knows need to go.