Spring Cleaning

Lately, I have been slightly obsessed with cleaning, decluttering, sorting, filing, etc. Anything that makes my life easier and more manageable. The other day i made a mess of the dining room by creating a tent for the kids under the kitchen table, JUST so I could clean their room. And oh, did I clean it. I mean, I guess I didn't scrub the walls or anything. But I say with pride that their room looks amazing! I am sure my next project will be the pantry.

Yet, this post has nothing to do with my own efficiency and cleanliness. At some point this week, a thought popped into my head that actually made me stop what I was doing, and think.

Does God Spring Clean us?

I've been evaluating and reevaluating my life, obsessing over why at times I feel humbled, stripped down, broken, and confused. Sometimes in the past, all at once, I have felt life crash down on me. I couldn't say anything the right way, I couldn't keep my house clean, I felt lonely and broken... and in many ways I felt useless to the world.

But just when I felt I had nothing left, a hope rose inside me. I felt parts of my life were renewed, restored, and made clean. It didn't happen all at once, and obviously it can't all happen till I join God in heaven.

God strips down our pride. God is the One who cleans us, who sorts and organizes our life. We are like toddlers who empty toy bins with careless abandon. He puts it away neatly and labels it "God's."

Considering this Spring Cleaning analogy, I have to ask myself, "What am I doing the other seasons?" During the fullfilled and happy times, how am I serving God? During the complacent but willing times, how am I staying strong? During my depression, in my rage, and during times I feel useless to the world, how am I finding hope in God's promises? I guess I like to think at all times I at least accept the label that I am God's "project." :)