(published in the August 2023 Bethel Beacon, newsletter of Salix Bethel United Methodist Church)
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love” – Ephesians 3:17 (NIV)
Company’s coming! Quick! Clean the house! Put things away, dust, sweep,…and anything you don’t have time to sort, just throw it all in that one room or closet whose door your family is absolutely forbidden to open once the visitors arrive.
Being not a huge fan of cleaning, I joke to friends and family that they should call ahead and tell me they’re coming to visit on a certain day so I’ll have the house sparkly clean on a regular basis. Can you relate? Why is it that we develop superhero cleaning skills when we know someone is about to arrive? Why don’t we keep it that clean all the time?
On the other hand, can you recall a distinct memory of your grandma’s house, where there was a living room you were not allowed to enter for the opposite reason…it’s TOO clean and pristine? For me, it wasn’t my grandma but my great-aunt that we would visit frequently. The furniture in that room was covered in plastic and deemed untouchable.
Often, there are parts of our lives that we don’t want anyone to interfere with, just like the messy room and the photographic room. We hesitate to let God into certain areas of our lives, fearing that He might disrupt or challenge our comfort zones.
Sometimes, when guests visit, we hastily clean the visible areas of our homes, yet we secretly stuff all the clutter and mess into one room, hoping no one will discover our hidden chaos. Similarly, we may try to hide our struggles, failures, and sinful habits from God out of fear and shame. But God is well aware of our shortcomings and wants us to be honest with Him and open to His healing, forgiveness, and restoration. He longs to enter that hidden room and bring His redemptive power into every corner of our lives.
Likewise, are there aspects of our lives that we shut Him out because they’re too comfortable? Maybe it’s a job we know isn’t right for us but we hate to leave the security of it, or the fear of breaking a tradition, even though we’re realizing it’s perhaps no longer what He wants for us, but it’s comfortable, and well….”that’s just the way we’ve always done it”?
Just as we safeguard that messy or perfect living room, we sometimes compartmentalize our lives, keeping certain aspects separate from our relationship with God. We may be hesitant to surrender control to Him in those areas because we fear change or discomfort. But the truth is that God desires to be intimately involved in every part of our lives. He longs to bring His love, grace, and transformative power into every room of our hearts.
Just as we desire to create an inviting space for our guests, God desires an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be present in every room of our lives, even the messy ones. Letting Him in requires vulnerability, trust, and surrender. We don’t have to fear that God will disrupt or condemn us; rather, He offers us the opportunity for transformation, healing, and growth. Embrace His presence in every aspect of your life, and experience the abundant love and grace that come from fully inviting God into every room of your heart.Lord, stir things up to reveal any messes we have in our lives. And even though it may get messy when we invite other people into our lives, we know that’s what you want. After all, what good is a perfectly clean room if it can’t be used and enjoyed? Enter every room in our hearts – clean or not, picturesque or full of “junk”. Restore and renew us as needed, and help us to share our strengths, weaknesses, gifts, talents, joys, sorrows, and challenges with others. And above all, strengthen our relationship with You. Amen.
