The Gospel of "Clean House"

Today on our way home from Sydney's dance class she told me we "have to clean the WHOLE house" so that her friends can come to play dress up.  Then she asked me not to tell anyone that we cleaned and especially NOT her friends' moms when we called them.  Normally I might have shrugged it off in lieu of planning out the best way to get lunch into the girls and Savannah off for a nap, but today was different.  Today I told her we don't clean the house to hide our mess - people are welcome to come to a messy house.  Today I told her we clean the house to have room to play.  Her response?  "Oh, okay."  

Nothing earth shattering, or so it seemed.  But in teaching her the principles of messiness and people, I hope to have laid one small piece of the foundation that we do not hide our sin - we do not present ourselves cleaner than we are - we lean into God as His Spirit moves and transforms us, in order to more fully experience the freedom that life with Jesus brings.  She doesn't understand that today, and she won't understand it tomorrow, but maybe in a decade, she'll have the courage to say to a classmate - "Yeah, I have that problem too..." and invite them into her messy heart.  Because once they see her mess, then they can ask her if she knows any cleaners - and that is the conversation that leads to saving faith in Jesus.  How I long for my little girl to lead others to Him, for the sake of their lives and for her own.

Praise be for The Holy Spirit who reveals the truth of the Gospel at all times and in all places!