In Plain Sight – Keep in Step with the Spirit
Do you do a big spring clean, former procrastinators? I read an opinion that spring cleaning is great, but fall cleaning also makes sense. As spring moves in and weather warms up, we move outdoors, spending more time there and less inside. The writer suggested we consider fall cleaning so we’ll have a more pleasant and functional home as we spend more time indoors with the coming winter.
This month, I’m not suggesting we beat our rugs or wash the windows (although such chores would be good, so feel free). I suggest we make our homes more pleasant and functional by clearing out the unnecessary, thus setting ourselves up for what we want or need to do.
Fall is a busy season; then the holidays cause a greater bustle. The flurry of activity makes us more likely to leave one undealt-with-pile on top of another. By New Year’s or tree removal time, we have more to clean up than holiday decorations. Let’s keep it simple.
Five categories come to mind. Let’s deal with the plain, the pathway, the ”plaque,” the placed-and- forgotten, and enjoy the pleasure.
The plain – This is the obvious stuff that’s sitting out on counters or the patio waiting for attention. This is the pile we swooped into the bedroom before company came and we never got around to putting the items away. We grow accustomed to seeing them, yet they irritate us calling our names. “Yoohoo! Whatcha goin’ to do about me?” Ignore you. Shove you over and make dinner. That’s procrastination.
So this week, let’s do a walk-through with an eye out just for the obvious. I have a summer flower arrangement to store. Notebooks to file for easy use. Magazines to throw out or pass on. Empty boxes to recycle. You get the idea. Don’t sweat over this. Just see what’s in plain sight and do it.
What does this have to do with keeping in step with the Spirit? It relates to the stewardship of the homes God has provided us and to how we use our time, energy, and attention. Are we free and available to Him, or hindered by extra things that block our path to obedience?
Pray to see the plain. Maybe a family member or friend will help by telling what their eyes detect that our eyes don’t.
What do you see now that you plainly need to get rid of or put away?
[Reporting in to you: I did not meet my August 31 deadline, but I did finish the first photo album! Now on number two.]
