The Art and the Joy of Cleaning

Today, as a family, we decided to clean up our house. It has been long since I contemplated cleaning up the house we live in. With three children, all on their learning processes and many other children of the saints visiting us frequently, especially in the weekends, our home is their play school. From our living room to the bed room, the entire floor is to their disposal. They run around, play hide and seek, and even play toys and games to their hearts' content. My wife and I have no objection to it. In fact, we felt blessed that our home can be a home of the children too. Despite the need to clean up the mess the children have created after their soulful delight, we still have been joyful all the while for the house God has provided us with. 

I personally felt our family is not for ourselves but we are for Christ and the Church. Therefore, all that we have and all that we are, are for the saints for the Lord's sake and for His Body. I am quite happy that we are being useful to the church. So only, our home is open and we rented this particular house on the first floor of the meeting hall so that it can be useful to the church. On the Lord's day as the meeting of the church is going on on the ground floor which is the meeting hall, our home which is on the first floor are used for the children meeting, playing, and mothers' resting place. In this sense of usefulness to the saints and to the church, we are grateful to rent this house even though it is expensive and physically too, the building is quite old and torn apart at sown spots here and there. Often times, I have been tempted to shift to a better house with similar rent, but the Lord has been restraining me. Until the Lord directs us to shift, we may stay here as long as the Lord wants us to be here.

We have been a little lacking and negligent on the cleanliness side because of the obvious reason that children will mess it up anyway. So we have tolerated quite a while to barely care much for it. But off late, it has been on my heart to do a deep cleaning and rearrange the whole house. Therefore, we decided it today, Friday evening, when we do not have meeting schedule.

Cleaning is an art; how to clean in the most effective way requires some creativity. I think I do have that creativity. I had been tidy and clean all my school life, college life, and even after marriage until children frequently our home regularly. As a family, including all my children and cousins who are with us, we all coordinated the entire evening for about five hours and cleaned up the entire floor. Many unwanted things that have been in store have been thrown away, and many goods rearrange in a neat way. Thereby, giving a fresh new look to the entire home. After all the cleaning and rearranging work, I feel we are in a new home altogether. New feeling, new look, and new atmosphere. Now I have a better feeling to invite saints and new ones for a visit, lovefeast, and for hospitality. Praise the Lord for the family coordination, and for the new home!

With all these cleaning works done, I felt an aura of joy, an ambience of beauty, and an outlook of beauty. May the Lord continue to bless our family and our home. May this home sweet home be a home for many saints, seekers, and sinners too. And may it be more and more useful for the Lord and His move and His testimony too. 

Praise the Lord for the wonderful home and useful house! As long as it meets the needs of the saints, the church, and the Lord, we are happy and content with it. After all, our lives are all for Christ and the church.

Lord, bless our home!