My kitchen/dining room floor gets swept at least once a day. Usually more, but at least once. I never cease to be amazed at how much junk can land on the floor in just a day. This was last night’s loot:
As I was sweeping the floor again, I got thinking. Maybe I was just tired, but hey, the illustration works. That floor and my heart has a lot in common. It gets dirty every single day. And not just a little dirty either. It needs daily sweeping out, otherwise the filth of discontent or bitterness or annoyance or irritability or a host of other junky things builds up in it. I’m sure you know how gross it is to walk barefoot on a dirty floor and get all sorts of bits stuck to the bottom of your foot. When I don’t clean out my heart regularly in prayer before God, then I become like a dirty floor for others to have to walk across. Totally unpleasant. People step over quickly and lightly because spending time around me is crunchy underfoot.
So I keep sweeping.
Comments (6)
great analogy, Franci!
Quite profound. Who said sweeping the floor was a menial task, eh? I think I’ve just enjoyed some fruit of your labour :o)
Awesome analogy Franci! I can relate!:)
Cool thought Franci! The thing I’d emphasize is that it is not we who should ultimately be doing the sweeping, but God cleanses our hearts by the blood of Christ. Think Matthew 12:43-45—if we do not rely on God to cleanse us, we will be like this wicked generation that tries to clean itself out but ends up worse than before.
Good thought, Jeremy. Yes, I was definitely not implying that I fix myself — hence the prayer of repentance ‘the sweeping out’. :-)
I know—I’m in seminary, though, so I make these connections all the time now! :-)