My husband and I are continually amazed when we walk down the stairs at the end of the evening, blurry-eyed and ready for bed. There sits before us a very messy kitchen, complete with dirty plates, lots of pots and pans, and all the traces of our consumption from the evening. The full clean up usually takes at least thirty minutes, on a good day.
As the day progresses, I’m often thinking of doing some extra cleaning and organizing that day-
- sorting through toys
- cleaning out a closet
- straightening a drawer
- scrubbing the microwave or another nasty spot
But, more often than not, I’m stumbling out of the kitchen, exhausted and eager to hang up my Merry Maids duster for the day- in no way going to tackle the bigger chores I’d anticipated.
Last night, as I was washing a few dishes by hand (the dishwasher was filled to the brim), I was thinking of how much of life is just maintenance…like the kitchen.
Wanting to Get out of my Heart’s Kitchen
And it occurred to me that my daily walk with God is similar. Sometimes, I have great plans and expectations for my days and years with Jesus:
- leading others to faith in Christ
- writing and teaching about the things Jesus teaches me along the way
- giving generously and opening my house to strangers
- serving my church and Christian community in special ways
- knowing my neighbors and displaying a hint of Christ’s love to them
Dirty Dishes Galore in My Heart’s Kitchen
But, then, there is the kitchen of my heart. The KITCHEN is the place of daily maintenance that always ends up taking more time than I expect.
I need to be enjoying God in my mind, in my emotions, and in my actions. I need to read Scripture, confess the sins I’ve been stumbling through recently, consider the individuals closest to me that I’ve neglected or mistreated, and work hard at worshiping Jesus and finding my joy in Him even when the days are tough.
If all I ever cleaned or organized in my house was my kitchen, I (and my family) would be in some serious trouble. But, the kitchen is a place that must get cleaned before other places can be subject to my handy dandy duster. I shouldn’t clean only the kitchen, but I must at least clean the kitchen.
And so, before, and even as, I move out with my big dreams and ambitions for this life with Jesus, I need to remember the places of daily maintenance for my spirit. The places that must not be the only place tended, but that must be tended to first.
And, I also need to remember that we should just have cereal for dinner every now and again.
Your Turn
How do you stay on top of the daily maintainence of your walk with Christ?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
That one, once again, really hit home (reminds me of my home AND my heart).
What an awesome post, Nicole! Thanks so much for that. Wow. I love how you write. You make me want to set aside time each day to really work on my own writing. I have pushed it aside for so long.
To answer your question, “How do you stay on top of the daily maintainence of your walk with Christ?”
First and foremost, I HAVE to start my day with my Savior. Before I can even greet my family in the mornings and be the wife and mom I need to be to them, I need to get alone with God. To confess my sins and praise Him for what He’s doing in my life and really, just TALK to Him about my day. I have to let HIM fill my cup so that I am not looking to others to do that.
I also have found that I NEED to be in the Word daily. I have to constantly remind myself what the bible says about…well, every aspect of my life.
If I want to be a representative of Christ, I have to read about His life–the things He said and did to understand how I must live.
So I would say it is in giving God the first part of my day (and staying in touch with Him all throughout!) and studying my bible daily that I maintain my walk with Christ. I learned a long time ago it DOES take daily maintenance. You cannot just go to church on Sunday, say a blessing at mealtimes, or sing an occasional worship song to maintain the kind of relationship you must have in order to live a life that is “worthy of the calling” we have received. (Ephesians 4:1)
Amy’s last blog post..The Grace of an American Idol
Amen about it taking daily maintenance! For both kitchen and heart! I know that I must start the day totally committed to talking with and listening to Christ or the day will be a total flop.. seriously.. a flop. I mean, I could try and convince myself it was not… but without starting each and every day with him… well, I am one sad heap of human…
One thing my husband and I have done recently is daily walks.. 45 min. to an hour where we talk, prayer, and work on memorizing scripture that the Lord has impressed upon us to memorize. We’ve been trying to memorize at least two per month since January and it has really been helpful… to have a reasonable goal and to encourage each other in what the Lord has been speaking to us about. Renewing our mind is so essential… and these daily walks in the early morning have really been helpful for us to start the day out right.