Monday, September 13, 2010

Not in Sync

I should be cleaning.

That pretty much sums up the last week or two.  My house hasn't looked this messy is a LONG time, yet I can't find the motivation to clean it.

I wouldn't even say 'motivation'... I invited a friend to come over tomorrow because that always motivates me to clean (so I don't look like a TOTAL slob), but nope.

It's more like I don't care.  Apathy.  A very ugly word that can have some very ugly consequences.

There's just so much in my brain lately that even the smallest thing is overwhelming.  So instead of dealing with that small thing, I just ignore it...  next thing I know, that one small pile of laundry has mutated into ten piles sitting around every where in the house with ten more behind it needing washed.

and laundry is just a small thing...

I know my heart is a bit out of sync too.  I like that word, sync...  It came back into my vocabulary over the weekend, and has gone from my tech device to making me think of my relationship with God.  I've been neglecting Him lately, and the result has been....  well... bad.

I realized over the weekend, that I can sync my device to my friends and it will tell me many details, including a GPS of their location at a touch of a button (kinda scary if you think of it!).  In order to operate it, I have to choose the friend I want to sync with, and spend a couple of minutes to set it up, then after that I can contact (or stalk I guess) in a matter of seconds.

Even though that may not be the smartest idea for our human race, to have any type of system to locate anyone at anytime for any reason, I like how it SHOULD be in my relationship with God.

I always know where He is.  I can contact Him in a matter of seconds about anything.  But it does take EFFORT.  I have to put something into it in order to sustain the relationship.

And I haven't been doing that lately...

I was awake early this morning, and picked up my smartphone and clicked on the Bible I downloaded (because I'm all holy like that! ;)  ha, no it was really so I would have one less thing to carry in and out of church).  I sat and looked at all the books of the Bible and had no idea where to go.  I just knew I needed something.  So I chose Philippians... definitely at the top of my list of favorites.  I memorized the whole book in college and it really carried me through some tough times back then.  But that was in KJV and reading well known passages in a new version is always eye opening to me, so I picked ESV (because it was leftover from Pastor's message yesterday). boy, laziness has really been pouring out of me in many areas lately!

Nothing really jumped out at me.  Then as I reread the first chapter, I was slightly twinged (i.e. convicted) by two phrases... verse 10: 'so that you may approve what is excellent'.  Yes, I know this is not in the context of housework, but the word excellent always catches my attention because it used to be a 'prize' for me.  I loved doing anything and everything to the point of excellence.  I can guarantee my house is no where near that word right now...

The other phrase was in verse 27: 'let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ'...  everything I do, including keeping a clean house, should reflect Christ.  I'm pretty sure the last salesman to knock on my door did not think Christ lived here, between the mess and the fighting children and the frazzled mommy.  I shouldn't keep a clean home just for sanitary reasons, but because it shows that I am taking care of the things God has blessed me with.

The THINGS...  not only do I need to work on that area, but the area that really counts, the HEARTS.  Obviously my heart first, so that I can show my children what their hearts should look like.  That's way more important than the house, and I know I've been failing them in the area of their hearts lately.

Now to put in the effort.

Hopefully I've found a bit of a start...