order

A little theology of vacuuming

~ Christie ~ Leave a comment

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The whole house was done. I got the last few corners of my bedroom and began to wind up the cord.

I am so happy.

My favorite house chore complete again. Of all the tasks left undone for weeks, vacuuming is not one of them.

So happy. Happy?

My thoughts were provoked.

This floor will be messed up in days. Where will my happiness be then?

It’s not wrong to have a good feeling from something being clean or put in order. But where did this love come from? Is there a deeper reason I enjoy the finished product of vacuuming?

I believe, yes! Created in God’s image, made in the likeness of the One who operates with complete order and beauty – this is from Him! And He is a source of happiness that will never end.

Of course it’s not wrong to feel happy about a house that is vacuumed. But let temporal happiness point you to something eternal. Shouldn’t that be one of the permanent benefits of our daily work? Take note of that love of order; revel in the One who gave it to you.

Worship the Lord for being made in His image. Worship Him for the common grace of loving the things He loves. Worship Him for giving us meaningful work and for the ability to enjoy it. Worship Him for being the One who does everything perfectly.

The list could go on. And after worship there is thankfulness.

Thankful for a vacuum. Thankful for energy and time. Thankful for people to vacuum after. Thankful for a house to vacuum.

Good theology takes you so much farther than temporal good feelings. It challenges you to know what is true about God and to see yourself in light of Him.

Everything true and beautiful about Him will remain even when the floor is messed up again. And that is something to be eternally happy about.

Housekeeping and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

~ Christie ~ 3 Comments
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It’s only been about a year now since I’ve realized a very encouraging principle for a very discouraging reality.

We all know that certain jobs will never be done. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. have to be done over and over. However, I used to get very discouraged when I would tackle a certain problem area to organize it or fix it or decorate it, only to notice a few weeks later that it’s condition was once again deteriorating.

But at some point it clicked, a lesson from some science class somewhere.

“Everything in the universe tends to disorder.” 

More correctly stated:

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And a definition for the all-important word “entropy:”

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And there you have it.

Though it feels so good to step back from a project or job and admire the order I see, at some little place in my head I need to remember that this space, too, is subject to the laws of the universe. It will become disorderly again without work and effort.

Sometimes I just walk through my house putting in back in order or cleaning something I had just cleaned the day before and think to myself, “Houses just take constant maintenance.” And not just the laundry, cooking and cleaning  -all of it. It’s no longer a reason for discouragement. Hopefully it’s an incentive to dive in and thoughtfully strive to bring order to this little place under my dominion.

Perhaps I’ve been thinking about this more because with being pregnant I have really seen how quickly things lose order when extra rest or downtime is needed.

Some of my New Year’s goals are aimed at organization and consistent maintenance of our little dwelling place. I am certainly not the best housekeeper in the world, but his is an area where I want to grow.

What about you?

I’ve read about every organization post I can find. = ) Now what I’m working on is taking all those ideas and making them work around here. Little by little, step by step.

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