31 days to Clean: Day 1

Yesterday, I started reading a book that I saw advertised on one of my new favorite blogs, www.aslobcomesclean.com.  The book is called 31 days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way, written by Sarah Mae. You can find it here:  www.31daystoclean.com.  As I was thinking about the real message I want to convey to my friends, family and children regarding my wannabe quest to become a "true" homemaker, the Holy Spirit quietly reminded me of the Mary challenge from Day 1 of Sarah Mae's book. I think that is a great place to start for me...

So, why do I want a clean home?

I don't really want anyone who walks through my doors to bow down and praise me on my highly organized rooms and "so clean that you can eat off them" floors, do I?  No! Not really.  It would be nice to know where things are when I need them, but it is more than that!

What I really want is a haven. A clean home would free up my mind, so that I can get busy creating that haven, and the memories that come with it, without being bogged down with all of the to-dos dancing around in my mind.

I want our home to be the big sigh of relief at the end of the day for my husband and children, the place where all who enter feel welcomed, appreciated and loved. I'd like for them to feel so loved that they leave with an abundance of that love to give away. I want our home to be an ever so slight whisper of a hint of heaven on earth, so that those who reside here and those who visit can't wait to come back, whether it be for hugs, giggles or brownies.  I want those who don't know Jesus to leave with a hunger for knowing him, this is, if they don't exit walking hand in hand with him.  That home doesn't look a certain way. You can't find that home in Better Homes and Gardens, Contemporary Living, or even on Pinterest. That home has a feel to it that is God-breathed. The only way to get that home is for me to stay so close to God on a daily basis that His spirit flows through me and into all that I do.  Forget what I said before about a perfect home and the perfect woman. I don't really want that at all. That woman doesn't even know that she needs Jesus! That woman just might think that she is Jesus.  

Joshua 24:15 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord... and I will start at home with a  servants heart for my family