Thoughts for Thursday: Kitchen Floors and Repentance.

SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2013

Kitchen Floors and Repentance.

Lately as I've been sweeping, I've been thinking about how my kitchen floor and repentance are similar.  If I don't give my floor a good scrub each week, it gets dirtier and dirtier until we're sticking to it...and there are more dirty spots then clean floor.  Definitely know this from personal and recent experience ;0)  BUT, the weeks I do mop and get it sparkly clean, I am much more apt to spot clean when minor accidents and spills happen.  Not only can we enjoy a cleaner floor throughout the week, but it doesn't take so much Saturday scrubbing to get it back up to speed.  It got me thinking that it's similar with us and repentance.  It gave more meaning to being prepared to attending church and partaking of the sacrament each week, and the importance of "spot cleaning" throughout the week when we make mistakes.

Many Saturday mornings we work together with the kids to get our apartment cleaned and ready for Sunday.  Yesterday we didn't get to cleaning until after the kids were in bed.  As Bry & I got things all cleaned up and ready for Sunday, I felt like we were preparing for a special visitor to come.  And in essence we were.  We were preparing our hearts and homes for the Lord's spirit to be in our home on the Sabbath.   It made me think again about this idea of preparing for the Sabbath and the difference between purification (justification) and sanctification.  Here is a quote from a modern day Apostle of the Lord...

None of us, of course, is perfectly obedient, and thus we rely on our baptismal covenant to bring a remission of sins after baptism just as it has done for our lives before baptism. We rely on repentance to reinvigorate that covenant, to bring the Holy Spirit and, with it, atoning grace. The process of cleansing and sanctifying through the baptisms of water and of the Holy Ghost can be continued weekly as we worthily partake of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The tokens of the Atonement, the bread and water, become symbolic cleansing agents and the sign of our renewed covenant, similar to the symbolism of the water in which we were immersed at baptism. It is as if we were being baptized afresh and the door once again opened for the Holy Spirit to enter, “that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us]” (D&C 20:77).---"JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION" BY ELDER D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON

Just like cleaning our floors or getting our house ready and cleaned for Sunday, we can do our best to clean up our lives, rid ourselves of things that our bogging us down.  Then it is the spirit that comes into our hearts and sanctifies them.  The more priority I place on "spot cleaning", "scrubbing" and preparing physically and spiritually for the Sabbath, the better prepared I am to receive the Lord's spirit in my home and my heart.

One last thought.  In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints there is a General Conference two weekends a year where there is a high concentration (8+ hours) of inspiring talks and music.  There are also stake and ward conferences a few times a year with local leaders where special instruction is given.  Each Sunday there are 3 hours of church services (Sacrament Meeting, Sunday School, Relief Society/Priesthood).  Aside from that we are advised to study the scriptures and to pray on a daily basis.  As I've pondered about this organization, I've realized that it applies to many things and is a good pattern to follow.  The thought that came to me is If Bry & I want to have a strong family we need to have--
SMALLER daily (family dinner/prayer/scripture study)
BIGGER weekly (Family Home Evening, family outings, holidays & traditions)
and LARGE annual family interactions  (vacations)---Large meaning lots of concentrated family time where our focus is on being together.

Anyway, just some thoughts and connections I've been making lately...and I wanted to record and share them in case they are helpful to anyone else.  Any thoughts?

29 March 2018
I can't help but add a little addendum here.  If I'm being honest I no longer get my kitchen floors sparkly clean every week, just isn't a priority these days, but I know that the principle still applies.  Our little efforts to stay with Christ, come back to Christ, be cleaned by Christ, all make a BIG difference!