A Clean Heart

Psalm 51:10 says "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me." This is also a favorite praise and worship song as well. I was humming it yesterday as I hung up our new family chart (you know, chores, behavior checks...):

The reason why I was humming this familiar scripture was because as I was about to hang this chart on this door I noticed something around the rim of the frame of the door. Dust! Yes! This door just houses our air conditioner/heater unit. We never go in here but maybe twice a year to vacuum the dust when the guy comes to check on our unit once in the winter and once in the summer. (Well, we never had the guy come this summer).

Caution: What you are about to see may not be suitable for all audiences. ::wink-wink:: (I'm so embarrassed)

Do you see that dust? It is sad when you can actually see the color of the dust and it is not just this sprinkle that covers your furniture. We worked on that little vent (using approximately 48 Q-tips) for about an hour. Despite Shane's face in this picture, we had tons of fun.

No seriously! We had fun. You know why? Because after the first swiping of the Q-tip, it was very rewarding. "Ooh Mom check it out?!" All of this dust just poured right out of little vent and then we moved down to the next little dent in the vent and more rewards just poured right out. To see the pile of Q-tips and dust was just the best feeling ever. (well maybe not ever) I am sure the whole family may even feel the benefits from this clean vent.

I thought about how it feels when our hearts are cleaned out. When we have all of this crud (dust) in our hearts and then we go to the Lord and ask him to cleanse us, it feels like a fresh clean start. With forgiveness from sin, the reward is instant because if we repent, He forgives us and that is it. Sometimes we have things in our lives that we are holding onto for whatever reason, and it weighs us down. When we go to our Father in Heaven and ask him to remove the junk from our lives, it is some times a process that may actually cause us to sweat or even hurt. Our flesh does not want to give up those things that tickle it. Removing the dross from our lives is a work of the Lord, but oh if we can stand it, the reward is amazing. You feel lighter, cleaner, and stronger.

So I say, "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me." Do your work in my life Father, "refine me like silver and test me like gold. when I call on your name, you will answer me; You will say, 'she is my daughter,' and I will say, 'The Lord is my God.' Zechariah 13:9"