I was sick over the weekend, and my house reflected it! (In all honesty, the sickness I had was, in terms of ailments, not too bad; I didn’t feel all that poorly. Nonetheless, sick is sick, and so I took full advantage of lying around and doing not a thing!) My house being in a state of chaos wouldn’t be that big of a deal. It was more just a matter of straightening and de-cluttering. However, my husband has a monthly meeting with a group of his friends in our home, and of course it came on the heels of my being under the weather, so I felt a little more stress than normal in my housecleaning. I voiced my concern about having the get-together in our home this month because, after all, there might still be lingering germs, and for the sake of these fine gentlemen, perhaps meeting elsewhere should be considered. He didn’t buy it, though; he saw right through my ruse. (In my defense, I really do like Cory’s friends, and I really don’t want them to get sick!) “Honey,” Cory said to me, “stop stressing over the house. It’s practically spotless already!”
Spotless!! Spotless?! How could he say such a thing with a straight face?! Spotless- ha! I found myself wanting to point out to him every crumb, speck, and smudge. And then it was as if my “spiritual application alarm” went off, and I could sense the Holy Spirit peeling back the layer of what was happening on the surface so I could see what was a bit deeper. Cory was looking at our home the way God looks at my heart. Jesus already paid the price for my sins- all I’ve ever committed, as well as all I’ll commit in the future- and because of my friendship with him, that’s all God sees when he looks at me. He’s not naïve; it’s not as though I pull the wool over his eyes when I blow it and he thinks I’m perfect. But just because I live within the constraints of the present doesn’t negate the fact that when Christ died, it was once and for all. It’s a done deal. I’m made right with God. Like I tell my kids, when God looks at me now, it’s through his “Jesus Lenses.” Instead of my sin, he sees a heart that’s pure, and it’s the apple of his eye. Just as I was viewing my home at the time, it’s easy for me to view my heart in a different light than God does. I see all the things that are out of place; wrong; messed up… and they stress me out; and I point them out to God time and time over. And his response is, “What are you talking about? It’s spotless! It’s a thing of beauty! And it delights me to no end!” I sure do love that God of mine! :)
