Best Friends and Cleaning House

My best girl friend when I lived in Mississippi was (and still is), Faith (that's her on the left).  She and I became friends as co-laborers in Christ working on staff at our church, and soon became best buddies.  Faith and I have been through our worst times together and that girl knows me inside and out :)  God gave us a great sisterly bond and allowed us to support one another and pray over one another and learn about His Word through our trials.  So when I learned that she and her family would be able to finally get out to Texas to stay with us over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was THRILLED!

And what do we do when company is coming?  We clean the house.  Insert prideful nature.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."  Proverbs 16:18

Now, with three kids in school and only a three year old to keep up with during the day, and no job  (that pays), I have plenty of time to keep the house clean.  My ADHD nature will not allow me to sit and do nothing and cleaning usually helps.  Having company over at least once a week helps as well.  BUT, I got a bit prideful and stopped seeing the messes that I had not addressed.  I vacuum, do dishes, keep up with the laundry, and keep the toys upstairs (usually), but with company on the way, I needed to do the full on cleaning.  

Late at night the week before, I clicked over to my favorite cleaning lady's website to get some ideas of areas I needed to focus in on.  (Having asked permission to use her name, logo, and link her site and not having gotten a response, we will refer to her as the lady with a fly and you can Google those nouns and find her.  wink wink)  Get serious about it and her site offers lists that are room by room and detailed.  We are talking cleaning the top of the fridge, moving the furniture to clean under, shine your sink kind of details.  So, as I got to cleaning, I became less and less prideful .  God often chooses to teach us humility by showing us just how small we are.  Our loving Father wants us to look into His character and realize who we really are as compared to HIM.  

 "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."  Proverbs 29:23

My worst mistake in this "I am a great housekeeper" trap was my grout.  Oops.  I sweep EVERYDAY.  Not sometimes, not just when it needs it.  We have tile for miles and a spot of hardwood floors.  I sweep everyday.  Often a few times a day.  We (my dear daughter and I) will mop twice a week.  But, . . . .  that nasty ole grout snuck up on me.  ARG!  I thought that it was "stained" grout.  You know, the kind that the contractors that build the house make a lovely black or brown.  Um, no.  It is grayish white.  When clean.  I got down to scrub a stubborn spot and the color of the grout changed.  Did I say prideful?

 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low."  Ezekiel 21:26

Boy was I brought low.  Down on hands and knees low.  For two straight days, I scrubbed that grout.  Brought it back to it's original color. (and wore out my hands and this scrubber you see on the left)

God chose to teach me that what I thought I had under control was not under His control.

(The Holy Spirit literally wrote that last sentence)

So, yes, the house was cleaned top to bottom for our coming house guests.  And yes, my friend Faith and I had a GREAT visit and even got to coupon together!  God is good.