Broken Down House/Broken Down Me

Now, my house is not in as bad shape as the one portrayed here.  Most of the repairs in my home are cosmetic (although there is a large gaping hole in the roof of a porch which we no longer use - and the whole thing, roof, walls, etc. just need to be torn down).  I chose to live in an older farm house and probably did not realize the cost of living in a house like this and that would need a lot of upkeep. Unfortunately, as a single mom who is not a "handy-mom", I do not have a lot of options. I started thinking of the things that needed "fixing" and it brought to mind of what is involved with maintaining a home:  cleaning, repairing and maintenance, etc. I thought of five areas in the physical sense, but I also saw an interesting spiritual correlation to these same areas in my own life.

1. Regular routine cleaning.  The basics for me are laundry, dishes, dusting, sweeping, mopping the floors, cleaning bathrooms, etc.  I know that I am someone who does not particularly care for house cleaning,  but I also know it's one of those necessarily evils.  It's frustrating to get it all cleaned up and then by the end of the day or the next day, it's a mess again.  I am not a perfectionist and consider myself to be "organized on an as-need-to-be" basis.  However, I know I  need routine and need to develop good consistent habits and pass this on to my kids so they will learn these same lessons.  I know it is important to keep up with the basics regularly.
2. Decluttering and de-junking.  This is an ongoing issue because there are always "things" in the house that we don't use or need and flat surfaces that get filled up quickly with more piles of paper.  I have been trying to go through different rooms in my house and determine if I really need this -- have I used it in the past year -- why do I need to keep it, etc.  I know there are sentimental values and memories that are attached to some of those items.  A few years ago I bought these nice decorative boxes for me and each of my children in which I put various papers, awards, drawings, report cards, etc. It really helped cut back on a lot of the accumulating "kid paperwork."   I know I am not a hoarder, but it's been difficult to make the time to work on these areas. I'd much rather be out and about, reading, listening to music, watching TV or a movie than do these organizational projects.  
3. Yard work and weeding - This is a conflicting area because I used to love gardening, growing flowers, vegetables, herbs, etc. especially when I was a stay-at-home mom.  It was so exciting during the initial planting of the flowers and vegetables, with the anticipation of harvesting the wonderful benefits.  It was the "in between" time that I did not particularly enjoy, i.e., constant weeding, watering and clipping off branches of a rose bush or a tomato bush.  This was especially not very appealing when it was really hot outside.  I'd much rather be inside relaxing with the air conditioning and a glass of ice tea.  The results of NOT weeding or watering was evident in time -- overgrown plants with no fruit or veggies, weeds taking over or plants dying from a lack of water.  It was MY neglect which caused the demise of those plants.  After a while, I just stopped planting gardens because I really did not have the time -- working a full time job -- but also because I was not willing to put in the time that was necessary to ensure positive results.
4. Repair what is broken.  Since I am not a very handy person, I have had to rely on my brother to help me out from time to time when something was broken.  I have paid him when I've had the money, but usually I did not have extra funds for those repairs and could only pay for the supplies he needed.  I was so blessed to have some people at my church who offer, as a ministry, their time to help people like me with these kinds of minor house repairs.  Right now I have a few holes in my walls from when my boys were either playing around or fighting and it's been embarrassing to walk into the house every day to see that.  There are so many things wrong with this house which need repairing, painting, re-tiling that i just wish I could do the Extreme Makeover thing and just have it torn down and build a new one.  Obviously that is not an option so I have to make do with what i have and rely on the Lord for His provision in this area.
5. Preventive Maintenance.  This is one thing I need to work on more regularly.  Like change out my air conditioning filter each month or as needed.  Keep the floors swept and the dogs washed and brushed (to minimize the shedding problem), be careful about the plumbing and make sure not to let food fall down the drain causing clogs, keep the grass cut and weeds wacked (thankfully my kids help with that!)  In general, I am learning that doing regular cleaning, decluttering, weeding, etc. helps keep the cost of repairs to a minimum.

So how does all of this relate to my spiritual life? 

• Routine Cleaning -  I know I need to continue to develop and maintain a routine for the cleaning of my heart and soul.  By that I mean I should keep up with my regular Bible reading and developing my relationship with the Lord, trusting that this will help strengthen me in the long run.  I know I have been saved by God's dear grace and that I cannot lose this salvation, but I know that I incur daily traveling dirt and soil which often hinders the connection I have with the Lord.  I must ask the Lord, as David says in Psalms 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me."  I need to have a clean heart if I expect to have a good relationship with the Lord.  

•  Decluttering and de-junking - I know I need to take a periodic inventory of areas in my life that need decluttering,  to get rid of anything that hinders my relationship with the Lord.  As David says in Psalm 51:7, "Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."  I don't want anything or anyone to keep me from maintaining my relationship with the Lord, and I need to be willing to "give up" those things if necessary. Easier said than done, believe me.  

• Weeding - this is similar to the decluttering.  It can be a bit more painful because of the branches in my life that may need clipping from time to time -- necessary in order for the plant to grow or flowers to bloom or fruit to develop.  It takes time and effort and I cannot neglect this area in my life.  If I do, I will suffer the consequences and it will take even that much longer to rid myself of these hindrances in my life.  I like the following verse: I am the true grapevine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more fruit. John 15:1-2 (New Living Translation). 

• Repair what needs to be fixed - I need to work on repairing what is spiritually broken in my life or trust the Lord to do the repairs, as He deems necessary, as soon as it breaks if possible.  Again, this can be a painful process and not much fun.  

• Preventive Maintenance - I know if I continue to implement the routine cleaning, the decluttering, the weeding and repairs in my life -- in essence, that is all the preventive maintenance I will need. I need to be willing, teachable, available for the Holy Spirit to work out these things in my life, knowing that in the end, the following verses will be true for me:

 

II Corinithians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

That is the ultimate goal in all of this - for me to become conformed to the image of Christ, and that is achieved if I am willing to go through the process willingly and not resist His poking and prodding - to get my attention - to listen and obey the Spirit's voice.  Then when I get to heaven, I will have a new mansion, a new place to live and will never have to worry about repairs or maintaining anything.  I am looking forward to that!