A Time to Clean: Day 30
How have you been? Are you making good progress on this challenge? My home is so much easier to maintain now. I still have some work to do, but already, I see such a huge difference and it makes me happy!
It’s easy when you are coming from a place of discouragement to fall back into that pit. It’s very easy. I know, because I’ve done it many times! You make some progress and then something goes wrong.
- you have a bad day
- you get sick – really sick
- you go out of town and can’t catch up
- you have several really busy days and the house gets out of control
All of those things happen to me on a regular basis. And sometimes {okay a lot of times} that means I’m exhausted and overwhelmed. And the house looks it.
And I pray no one drops in on me. Right.
It’s like they know my house is a mess. And they want to dig it in just a little deeper. Okay, so I’m sure that’s all just my imagination, but discouragement is like that. It feeds your soul a pack of lies.
Homemaking
So, I want to remind you that all of this is not about perfection. Decluttering, cleaning, homemaking – it’s not about having a perfect space. It’s about having a space that feels warm and inviting, peaceful and cozy.
Home should be a haven. A respite from this world. The lived in look really is okay. Tidy does not have to mean perfect. Neat doesn’t mean perfect.
What so great about having less stuff is that you have less stuff to clean and maintain. Which really means in the end it’s easy to keep your home tidy. It’s a natural cause and effect. If you straightened your home at 8 am and at 2 pm your children are building a fort in the living room and have toys strewn about when the pastor pops in… there’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re doing what you should be doing.
There’s no shame in living life in your home. If you are doing the best you can, there’s no shame in living a life that creates a mess on a daily basis. It’s the noble act of homemaking, making a home – creating a space that your family lives in and grows in and loves in and finding beauty in the real that motivates us to continue in the daily mundane. Because it’s every real moment you live fully that makes a beautiful life.
“I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.”
― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be amazing. Live your life fully, embracing every joy and ever harsh reality with passion. Because you only have this one life.
Today’s Goal
- Embrace your life – the good and the bad. Praise God for all of it. Ask Him to help you live this moment and the next fully.
- Determine to live with purpose.
- Pray about making hard decisions – about what things you should keep, preserve, or let go.
- Pick up a journal and write down your thoughts about what He has shown you or print my free prayer journal.
- Choose an area in your home you want to tackle. I’ll be working in my bedroom today.
- Fill at least one bag or box full of stuff to give away.
- Take a picture of your bag. Share it on Facebook or Instagram – use hashtag #atimetoclean2017 {optional}
- Leave a comment below about what you chose to get rid of and anything else God has laid on your heart.
- Do your best to wake up early tomorrow and spend time in prayer. Use your prayer journal.
A Simple Morning Routine
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