How do I cultivate a culture within my home that works towards excellence in everything we do? It's a question I find lurking in my subconscious a lot. I struggle daily with my children and their lack of effort to keep their playroom or bedroom cleaned. I wonder when that struggle will come to an end. I struggle with keeping my house cleaned. I often wonder when that will end. Or when I will stumble upon some new inspiration or method to get things done.
A few months ago, the Lord spoke to me and told me to get my house in order. Those words. In my thoughts. Very clearly. It was not something I would have thought of on my own. He preceded to speak to my husband about the same thing. It has become our family motto of late. It's more than just organization of things. It's organization of heart. Relationships. Family. Attitudes. Physical. Mental. My husband preached on it. Good Word. The declaration itself can be found at Harvest Family Fellowship- The Declaration
As I am hearing and seeing the people in our congregation really HEAR the Word of the Lord, and DO IT, it is VERY encouraging! I have been practicing this in my own life. Trying to practice it in my own life. Hubby and I went through the basement the other day. So amazed and impressed how much we accomplished while the little monkeys were taking naps. We have been carting around 9 years worth of stuff accumulated from us both (mostly me) in our marriage. Broken kids toys. Papers from my ELEMENTARY years...the list goes on. We carted 3 GINORMOUS contractor trash bags out. They were seriously big enough to fit me in! FULL of TRASH! Full of stuff that we were carrying around, from house to house. Stuff we obviously didn't need. We made trips to the Yard Sale SITE, around the corner. Are we done in the basement? No. Not yet. But little by little, we WILL finish. I am back to the idea that I will make that useable space. I will turn a wall of the basement into a sewing/craft area for myself. And a craft table/play area for the kids. It's already being stored down there. So why not?
The Lord was with me as I quickly went through things that day. I knew clearly and decisively, what I needed to throw out and what I needed to keep. He is always with me. His Word promises it. Why wouldn't He be with me as I sort through junk in the basement? He was physically carving out a space in my home, and He is spiritually carving out a place in my heart. A place where I make time for Him. A place where I make it a point to have coffee with Him every morning. Does it happen every morning? No. I'd like it to, but I'm human. And humanity gets in the way. I've got to continually dig it out, everyday, so I can sit in The Well. The Well of Him, of His living waters.
So I'm learning that I really have to teach out of a place of personal experience. My children aren't going to get it if I'm yelling the concept of "do what I say, not as I do!!" I have to model for them what I want their room to look like, by keeping mine clean. Sure, it's not REALLY messy. Not if you don't count the million baskets of laundry that don't get put away because I don't have enough room to put them... wait? no room for laundry? What does that mean? Could I possibly have too many clothes? YES! So in this process, I've bagged up approximately 10 trash bags of clothes that I had been hoarding and brought them down to the local consignment shop. Hopefully I will be able to teach my kids another lesson in that too. Or multiple ones. Lead by example. Be consistent. Trying to live that out. After all, it's what Jesus did and does to us daily. He leads us now, by the examples He set in the Bible, and He is consistent to His Word, and in our lives.
What is God speaking to you to give up, or get rid of, to make more room for Him?
