Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my Shephard. I shall not want.
One of my favorite memories as a child is listening to my mother sing while she cleaned the house. Cleaning seem to be one of her favorite past times. Once we entered elementary school, we were assigned chores. These chores rotated between me and my 3 siblings. My favorite chore was washing dishes because it was always quiet, since everyone cleared out of the kitchen after meals. My least favorite was hanging clothes on the clothes line. It just seemed the clothes line went on forever and ever.
A couple of times during the year, we had to do some deep cleaning. I never looked forward to this because I knew it would take up most of the day and it had to done right the first time! We had to wash down the walls, wash windows and screens and make sure the floors were immaculate. We learned to test the floor with bare feet to ensure there was no grit.
One of my mother’s pet peeves was dirt left in the corners beneath the lower cabinets in the kitchen. So, she wasn’t satisfied that we swept and then mopped the floor. Those methods ensured we pushed the dirt further in the corners. Therefore, she instructed us to get on our knees to get the dirt we had pushed in the corners so deep you could see from afar. We would use old toothbrushes and other methods to get to the dirt.
As much as I hated doing it, the rewards were great! My mother was quite pleased at our efforts. And the kitchen floor was immaculate. The kitchens seem airy, peaceful, and clean. And it certainly was the hub of the home.
Many of us have struggled with the dirts in our lives for weeks, months, years. Depression, loneliness, anger, forgiveness, relationship issues make up some of the dirt in the corners of our lives. These issues can often fester and turn into something else when we try to do things our way or try to fix situations. We look in the mirror and the issues boldly look back at us. We drink ourselves into oblivion, the issues are regurgitated. We delete people, yet keep them on our hard drives.
When I approached the altar at church to pray, I realized my injured knee wouldn’t allow me to bow down. I stood up and held on the railing. My heart cried out and the Lord did hear my cry. Yet, I realize how important the gesture of kneeling and praying is in my life. I am thankful for yet another opportunity to Bow Down On My Knees and pray. I am grateful to Bow Down On My Knees to get in the corners!
Dirt is trying to wrestle with me and take my focus! I won’t let it. I won’t give in! I won’t quit!
We have to get on our knees, look in the corners of our hearts and allow the Lord to clean out the dirty places and replace them with His peace, His love and His joy!
Song in my heart…How Great Thou Art!
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