Clean Heart, Clean Home

Growing up I shared a room with my little sister and had a really hard time keeping my room clean. My parents tried to implement all kinds of organizational devices to help us (mainly me) learn how to keep things clean, everything from window box/toy chests to floor to ceiling bookcases. It was truly amazing how quickly our room would get “destroyed” and since the majority of the offensive items were mine, I was usually the one charged with clean up. At one point my mom even bought me a book by Joy Wilt Berry about cleaning my room that contained step by step instructions. Step one: take everything on the floor and put it on your bed. Step two: pick one group of items (shoes, books, toys, etc.) and put them away. Sounds great, right? The problem was that once all of the items were piled up on the bed I was so overwhelmed by the massive pile of junk that I shut down and was unable to continue. My mom would have to come in and coach me through each group of items to put away.

I am 27 years old and I am still intimidated by “the pile” and the way with which it has grown with the arrival of my son. Most times I can’t even muster up the energy to pick up around the house, much less get into the nitty gritty and I really have a hard time doing it with a kiddo on my hip. My husband is a very neat person, is home with the baby three days a week and insists that he enjoys the housework and that I shouldn’t worry about it but I feel a great sense of responsibility to keep our house clean and make our home a safe haven…on my own. It is something I struggle with on a regular basis. Sure, it would be easier to let him do it or to hire someone else to do it but I really do feel a sense of accomplishment in doing it myself.

Just today my mother pointed me to a very grown-up “godly wife” version of the Berry book at A Clean Heart. It turns out there is a whole campaign called The Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge. I love this challenge because it isn’t just about having a clean home but about starting with a clean heart and allowing it to spill over into your home. Check it out and download your own detailed cleaning lists and join the 52-Day Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Your thoughts?