Jesus stood at the door to my house and knocked. I opened the door and he came in to eat with me, promising never to leave nor forsake me.  I was excited to receive him, but anxious about the state of my house. What would He do when He discovered what a bloody mess it was?

To my joy and astonishment, Jesus not only loved me in spite of the mess, He began to help me clean it up. For a while we cleaned happily together, but eventually I lost my initial enthusiasm and grew tired and restless. After all, I felt that things were looking pretty good, at least in the living room. But Jesus wasn't interested in popping a Coke and watching TV on the sofa. He smiled, pulled the sofa out from the wall, and asked me to get the vacuum.

Still, as the room began to really sparkle, I actually started to feel pretty proud of myself. In fact, I began to look down on my neighbors, lounging around in piles of pizza boxes and dirty socks. I remarked on this out loud, but Jesus replied, "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" Oh. 

Jesus moved on to my kitchen. He didn't seem surprised at my unhealthy appetites, but that didn't ease my embarrassment! Just having Him there made me aware of how much junk I was filling myself with. He started on the sink full of dishes while I got busy throwing out the Twinkies (even though the box said they'd be good until May 2027).

I again tried to encourage Him to relax.  He answered me kindly but severely, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" He certainly has a way with words. I had to look up "sluggard", but I was pretty sure it meant we weren't going to be catching my show at 8.  He pointed me toward the greasy range top.

This process of going from room to room and cleaning out the dark corners has continued for as long as I've known Him. It's been harder than I thought at first, though I must say it's also been wonderful, knowing that He really takes joy in our journey together.  But there are places I really would rather he wouldn't go!

From time to time, as he's come close to some of my darker places, I've tried to lock him out of certain doors.  After all, a guy's got to have some privacy, doesn't he?  Jesus said only, "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence."  Instead, He's been more than willing to kick down the door or knock a hole through the wall if required (He's very committed to this process). 

At other times He's had to replace large parts of my foundation. Those have been very painful times, and yet I've come to see how they were also so very necessary and good. Still, I don't look forward to them, and there are certainly days I wonder why I invited Him in to begin with.

But in a deeper place, I want something else: "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." And so I know that this process won't end while I yet live in this house, until I reach the perfect mansion He is preparing for me.