5 MINUTES OF GRACE: Spiritual Renewal and the Art of Giving Thanks

BY: EDNA JANE LOREY

EDNA JANE LOREY

What does your life look like? Is it clean, uncluttered and inviting? Or does your life look like a “Junk Drawer” – with any old thing thrown in? If it is a junk drawer – can you see the junk in it or are you walking around with blinders on?

On a recent trip I visited a friend whose gifts and talents I respect tremendously. My blessing was that this friend opened their doors, home and heart to me. My spiritual challenge was to understand “what” I allowed myself to be invited into.

My gracious host – a brilliant, loving, kind, gentle spirit lives in a home that is far beneath the value one would expect this person’s life to have. My friend walks outdoors into the world beaming, clean, sparkling: dressed from head to toe with pride – neatly pressed, polished and well put together. And yet my friend lives in a home where dirt and grime cover the walls. Forget that this friend showers two or three times a day and treats their body like the temple God meant for it to be and in spite of the fact that the bathtub, kitchen sink, refrigerator and stove are clean; my friend’s home is dirty. Yes, it is simply dirty. Three inches of dust covers pictures, inspirational sayings and mementos which adorn their walls. Dust and grime cling to curtains, baseboards, ceilings, doors and cabinets. Missing and broken ceiling lights, fans, heaters; dirty fixtures, broken furniture – all neatly and carefully placed around the room is a testament to what my friend thinks of their life.

The windows scream to be washed. Broken door screens, un-wiped patio furniture and the list goes on. My bright, intelligent friend who looks everywhere for success, forgot to look in the one place that matters most. Home. The place one lives. Home: A place that should display one’s pride. Home, the second place – next to your own body – which should reflect the words: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”.

How can we find our greatest value in life if we don’t value our lives enough to keep our surroundings clean? How can we see our paths to success when we can’t even see cobwebs in our living space?

I truly believe your home reflects what you think of yourself. A home is meant to be a retreat, a safe have, a place to escape from the burdens, dirt, grime and negative thoughts of the world. But if your home is dirtier than your outside surroundings – you’ve made yourself into a groundhog. Peeking out into the world but crawling back inside your own “hole”.

Clean House is a show that seeks to inspire people to rid themselves of clutter to make way for a better life. Each episode shows us the merits of letting go of the past….of the things that bind us in order to make way for a better future. Millions of people view Clean House and cringe at the way some people choose to live; and yet they don’t see the dirt on their own walls, the old, worn carpets that may harbor dust mites and other unpleasant insects that can affect health, wealth and wholeness.

If your home reflects your life… what does your life look like? If you have been blessed enough to have a roof over your head and four walls around you, show your grace and thanksgiving by making that home a neat, clean, uncluttered place to live to invite your friends and invite in your good.

Throw out the raggedy, the ugly, the unused, the scrappy, the worn out, the junk, the things that bring bad memories. Surround yourself with only the best. Stop making your life a Junk Drawer and make it your palace, your retreat, your haven. Decide to bring only the Things into your home that elevate your spirit, make you feel joy, make you feel good about yourself.

I like to think of my home as a warm, inviting, luxurious boutique hotel. My number one rule is: If it needs to go in the garage – throw it out. If it needs to be at the top of the closet – out of the way- then it needs to go to someone who will reach for it because they can use it. In a cluttered and/or dirty home, there is no place for the new and the good to come in.

You have to make room for the good. The law of attraction says: “Like attracts like”. Make your space and your life inviting to the good, the gracious, and the beautiful. Clean out, clean up and watch rivers of blessings flow into you life.

Grace to you.

Until next time, this is Edna Jane Lorey.

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