I bought a new broom the other day; not an ordinary broom, but an extraordinary broom. The bristles are natural material: very soft, very fine and very flexible. It is a Vietnamese broom. I bought it at the local Asian market.

Why am I so excited about a new broom? Good question. I had always thought that my house was nice and clean, at least to the casual look. However, just a quick sweep around the kitchen with my new broom demonstrated my error. The broom made it easy to get into the corners and under the cupboards. Shortly, a definite pile of fine dirt and debris began to pile up on the floor. All those little crumbs, scraps and insect leavings shocked me! “H-m-m-m-m,” says I, “Guess the kitchen wasn’t as clean as I thought.” I, then, began to sweep the whole house with my new little broom. I felt renewed! It was a clean sweep, so to speak.

The new broom also got me thinking about my spiritual house. To the casual observer, it looks neat and tidy. I am generally content and satisfied with my spiritual state. But what about the cracks, corners and crevices? Do those need a clean sweep? Should I use a new broom to sweep out the habits and opinions that cause my spiritual being to become less welcoming to God dwelling in my heart?

Would it hurt to look deeper? Would it hurt to recognize where I need more of God’s light? Of course not! I cannot change what I don’t recognize. Looking honestly into the corners can help improve my motivation to follow Christ’s example in all aspects of my life. How about more prayer, more meditation, more spiritual reading? How about fewer critical opinions and practices? I want to welcome the Lord into as clean a house as I can provide, while fully recognizing that I will never get it right every time. I know that God delights in my effort to demonstrate my love for Him by attempting to clean out those corners, but I know they will never be perfectly clean. This is not a cause for discouragement.

Quite the contrary, I am reminded of a story that I heard at church yesterday. A young child sat enjoying her ice cream cone in Ben & Jerry’s. Suddenly, she put down the ice cream and reached up to plop a “sticky kiss” on her mother’s cheek. The mother smiled and tenderly embraced her child, regardless of the mess and discomfort of the remaining ice cream on her lips.

The same is true for our gracious Lord. He welcomes your “sticky kiss” every time! He loves you, and every single person in the whole wide world. He loves you unconditionally. How fortunate are we?

Terri

Read Psalm 86 and be consoled.