I am not the most organized, neat and tidy person you will ever meet. In fact, it takes me nearly an entire day to clean my house because I am so bad at the upkeep. But if I know we are having company, I am quick to jump on it! It is important to me that our guests do not see our home when it is dirty. In a way, it represents us. If our home is dirty, I feel like a dirty person and friend.

But I was humbled recently when my husband made a statement about our bedroom. He said he wished I cared about how our bedroom looked as much as I did the rest of our home. He didn't mean it to upset me. He actually said it almost as a joke - because I was scrambling around the rest of the house cleaning it, while our bedroom was the "stuff it away and hide it" sort of place. Kinda like when we were asked to clean our room as kids, and we'd shove everything under the bed - yeah, that's how our bedroom was becoming.

It had me thinking... you know, I can be exactly like that sometimes. How often do I try and make myself "look good" on the outside, the part of me that everyone can see, and store away junk in my thoughts and heart? I was convicted.

I wish I could say things changed right then and there. But, the mess had accumulated so much that it took a little help from my sweet sister to clean things up! The same is with our lives, spiritually. Sometimes we need to call on the help of a dear friend to pull us out of the dirt we are piled up in.

I learned that my husband cared more about the cleanliness and comfort of our bedroom than he did about the rest of our home. In the same way, God cares more about the cleanliness and condition of my heart than He does about my outward appearance. So perhaps the next time someone is coming over, I will start with the bedroom and work my way out.

If my kitchen is dirty, you know things must be going well in my heart. :)