Spring Cleaning

This past weekend I took advantage of an extra day off work to do some serious spring cleaning around the house.  Just so you know how serious it was -- I cleaned the oven.

Except I didn't.  Yes, I cheated.  The oven cleaned itself.

Thank God for whoever invented self cleaning ovens.  And bless our landlords for buying one :)  The one problem of the self cleaning oven is that after the cleaning process, you have a house that is about 7,000 degrees.  Great in the winter.... Not so great in the spring when the temp is 75 degrees.  Oops.

After I wiped my oven down and it was all sparkly, my life seemed so much better.  With the exception of the blazing hot house.  While icing myself down, I had a revelation. Ready for it?    Our oven is like our heart. 

No, our hearts don't make our houses feel like the Sahara Desert.  Nor do they bake delicious mounds of bread or cakes or anything else.  Here's my thinkin' Lincoln...

I don't know about you, but I don't put "clean the oven" on my weekly to do list because the inside of the oven isn't something that a visitor could see right away.   I admit, on most days, my house LOOKS clean, but if you really start looking, you are going to find some hidden crud.  Specifically in my oven.... after I bake a lasagna.

We, too, can also LOOK like we are doing well.  We can do our hair and nails, wear a smile and pretend to be "doing great" when we really aren't.  Just like my oven, I let slime and grime build up in my heart because people can't see in there.  I can appear to be okay when deep down, my heart is being hardened because I haven't made time to read the word.  Or it is being littered with anger, worry and negativity because I refuse to let go.  Or, it is being dirtied with unforgiven sins because I become too busy to ask for forgiveness.  

Cleaning my oven just took a switch of a button and enduring some heat.  Heart cleansing just takes submission and confession. Jesus already took the heat.  The gunk of our hearts will be "burned off" when we confess our sins:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:9


Maybe it's time to do a little spiritual spring cleaning. Don't let your heart get dirty.  Allow God to create in you a clean heart.

Patience is a.....pain

Seriously.  Let's forget the virtue thing.  Patience is painful. 

Let me start off this post by saying I absolutely hate being late to anything.  I can remember hating it as a child.  We were ALWAYS late and everyone was waiting on us.  I have vowed to not be late to things.  (I know, wait until I have kids, right?)

I don't have to wait.  I am being trained right now.  This morning as my beloved husband decided to get in the shower 20 minutes before church began, I found myself reciting "Love is patient... Love is patient... Love is patient"  We walked into church 5 minutes late and my little punctual self was not a happy camper. 

But then God said "Hey my Pouty Princess, listen here. When you have to wait on people, I am training you to wait on ME."  Humph.

Okay, okay. The world didn't end because we were five minutes late.  In fact, those five minutes might have kept us from being a part of an accident.   And the world won't end because God doesn't answer His door when I want to.  He'll open the door when He is ready.  I have a hard time remembering that God's delays are not God's denials.  I just have to WAIT.

Sigh.  I'm not good at waiting.  But I'll work on it....