January 15, 2001

Thoughts on House Cleaning
By Iona Hoeppner

I hired someone to clean my house once and stood in awe that in just one day this professional had everything sparkling and clean, floors, windows, refrigerator, and even the oven. It would have taken me a week or two to do all that!

Of course, the professional only cleaned. She didn't stop to wipe a two year old's nose; no one called her on the phone to share a heartache or a joyful moment; she didn't take time out to answer the letter she found under the couch... she stuck to her assignment and cleaned the house.

Although I should have stayed to learn all her tricks of the trade - she was very GOOD - I took the day to attend to personal business elsewhere. And since I've never hired a house cleaner since, I am still plodding along with my inefficient methods and my house tending chores still take forever... but I am cool with that. After all, it's just a house and I am more concerned about my home... and there is a difference.

I usually wash my supper dishes in the morning so I can spend time with my honey in the evenings. As we talk, play board games, take walks and do our evening Bible Time together, the dishes remain piled in the sink and I forget about them. By doing this, I am working on my home, where relationships are more important than dishes.

When we open ourselves to it, God can do some serious house cleaning in our hearts, and all that scrubbing can be a bit painful.

Then, next thing you know He holds a mirror up so we can see things about ourselves as He sees them. Trouble is, we tend to focus on the details instead of the whole picture. It's sort of like when your primping to get ready for a formal affair and you can't get that one strand of hair to behave... all you notice in the mirror is that single unruly tress! You fail to notice how your eyes shine and that your cheeks glow, how the curve and hue of your brow sets off the shape of your face and... well, you get the idea.

So, remember this, sweet ladies... God adores you!

You were created for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11) and glory (Isa. 43:7) so He yearns to be with you... yet He didn't make you a puppet but desires that you of your own mind will want to receive His abiding love.... He seeks to woo you to Him in so many, many ways!

So, His answer to our prayers may not be what we may imagine... I've learned that He often gives something even more valuable than what we ask for. He's working on our home!

When You Just Can't Take It Anymore
Submitted by Carol Skipper of Apron Strings
Author Unknown

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea.

Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle.

With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.

It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess I've made of things.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond. Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping can I embrace what He's offering?

Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance he's dancin' with my needs in mind?

I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him.

Even when the chips are down.

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Author: Iona Hoeppner
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Revised: April 20, 2006.