Detox Your Attitude

I did my prayer walk through our home yesterday, and I pray you did, too. Getting some perspective on the situation changes everything about how you plan your attack on the contaminants in your house and life.

What that prayer walk also did was bring one thought to mind: Can I just get a new house and start over? As I wrote down all the projects I wanted to tackle and messy areas I wanted to clean, I ended up breaking the house up into 16 separate areas. I included each room, the garage, car and front and back yards. Each one got a page and they filled up quickly, but it was rather inspiring to see how much potential our home has.

And then came my second thought...can I afford to hire someone who will do all of this for me? Those 16 pages suddenly became a daunting challenge that might be better left to someone else, right?

That's when the Holy Spirit hit me in the chest like a ton of bricks. This is your home, your haven of rest. It is your responsibility to be a good steward of all the blessings God has placed in this home and has promised to keep continually.

The problem wasn't the pages of list in my hand, it was my attitude about those responsibilities. I wasn't seeing the projects ahead of me as my service to the Lord, but as time-eating, sleeve-rolling-up chores that I had put off. Perhaps it was as much seeing my shame in bright neon lights as it was realizing what had to be accomplished.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

This world doesn't find it necessary to keep the home or there wouldn't be television shows about hoarders and professional cleaning teams. This world has no problem putting work off until next week, let alone tomorrow. But by changing our personal attitude, the renewing of our mind, we can tackle what's we've procrastinated away with a whole new outlook.

When I stopped in my kitchen during my prayer walk yesterday, I immediately saw clutter, wasted space and work spaces that needed cleaning. But as I prayed over that room, the Lord showed me a space where I can prepare nutritious meals for family and friends. All it needs is the time and attention to make it good and acceptable - not a showpiece, but a clean, welcoming room that fits in the perfect will of God.

I think I may need to do my entire prayer walk again, this time looking at each room through the eyes of the Lord. He sees our homes as the center of fellowship and worship outside of the church house. If we see the house as the primary place we serve Him, it's not always work, but pleasure in serving God.

Will scrubbing bathrooms and washing windows be fun? Probably not, but I can still have a joyful song in my heart. God has blessed each and every one of us with a home, each in different styles, sizes and levels of disrepair. Each of us has a service to the Lord to keep the home and make it meet for the Master's use. Imagine what God could do with our home when it is neat, organized and cozy again.

Let's get our attitude adjustment out of the way right now so we can dive into home detox for the Lord!