Okay so, recently my husband was gone for a week on a business trip.  After I took him to the airport, I walked back in to our house.  Now everyone who comes here KNOWS I am not the quintessential housekeeper… in fact I’m good when I do it, but I’m very, very bad when I don’t.  I get in the “mood” like once in a great while.

So I walked back in the house only to start looking around and seeing it in a vastly different light than before he left.  I’m not quite sure how that happened.  So, this is me… I have a whole week to clean up this house with it’s inch and a half of dust!  Yea me!  And then life happened.

Teaching Bible study, going to the gym (ya, I was going to go every day there, too!), spending time with my kids, a friend called and needed me to come for a few hours… and the list just kept going on and on and on.  By the time Friday came and he was going to come home at 9pm that night, I had just barely started.  I cleaned the kitchen and cleaned the grease off of the stove.  I dusted the living room.  And then I took a break.  Yep, a break that didn’t end until the next morning… I assume a lot of you are totally like me. At least I hope you’re not judging me…

This totally reminds me of us Christians.  After Jesus shows us, we look around and see all the dust and vacuuming that needs to be done.  We look at ourselves in a whole new light and it isn’t all that pretty.  We’ve got some cleaning out to do!

So let me hit you with some scriptures that talk about this very thing…

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)

I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

And who is this “bride” the Bible is speaking about?  It’s God’s Holy church of which we are a part.  And what does it say, the bride has made herself ready!  We’ve got to make ourselves ready for Jesus to return!  How exciting – His RETURN!

So how do we make ourselves ready, you ask?  By imitating Jesus – being His disciple.  He went to church – go to church.  He read the Holy Scriptures – read the Holy scriptures and He prayed to His Heavenly Father – so pray!

We start out with the best intentions and then – yes, you guessed it – life happens.  Becoming a disciple has to be an intentional, everyday thing.  I’ve heard this all my life.  But I never really got it until I did it.  Intentionally.  On purpose.  Getting up earlier. This is definitely not to say I do it perfectly… life does happen.  And that prayer thing… I talk with Him all day long, but when it comes to sitting and listening and praying for an extended time, He’s still working with me on that.

Isn’t that the point, though?  When He shows us things and we figure out we need a change, He helps us!  It’s not all on us!  He guides and directs us and molds and shapes us so we can be used for His glory, His purpose.  So exciting!

So if you haven’t started trying to read and pray daily, I suggest that you take tha first step.  If you’ve got no time, tell Him.  If you don’t know where to begin, tell Him.  He will guide and direct your steps! Don’t let “Life Happen” in this arena!

As for me and my house cleaning, or lack thereof, yes, I finished.  I finished on saturday morning.  And my husband was so excited, he actually helped me clean something that wasn’t on my list!

Have a great day,

XOXO Bride Linda Kay