I’ve mentioned my major Spring house cleaning project a few times in the last couple of weeks.  It was mammoth!  I spent a full two weeks cleaning virtually everything in the house.  For perspective, I spent EIGHT HOURS just in the kitchen and dining area.  Whew!  So glad that’s behind me.

But once I enter “beast mode,” I can’t always stop and knew that there were some major outside projects I also wanted to tackle.  First and foremost, I wanted to power wash the house.  Sounds like fun, right?  I know there are some of you out there who do love this kind of thing!

I leave garage lights, front door lights and back deck lights on all night long, primarily for safety reasons.  I don’t want any potential thieves thinking they can sneak in under the cover of darkness.  But that results in massive amounts of bugs and spider webs, not to mention the usual dirt and grime that accumulates over a few years.

I don’t actually have a power washer anymore.  Apparently, we sold it when we moved off the acreage.  So what I had was the “jet” setting on my regular garden hose. 

With the inside cleaning firmly behind me, I was excited to get started on this next major project.  My plan was to see if the jet setting was adequate to remove all those pesky spider webs and, if not, make a run to Menards for a power washing attachment.  I thought I’d check out a small section of the garage first.

And then it happened.  I couldn’t stop.  Yep, I was hooked.  I’d forgotten how amazing it was to witness all the gunk coming off the house.  I did the entire house in an hour and change.  SUCH a great feeling!

With that behind me, I headed to the grocery store, still riding this wave of euphoria over my sparkling clean house exterior.  I seriously couldn’t remember the last time I felt so good about a cleaning project, or anything for that matter.

Full disclosure – I’m 100% Dutch and you know what we all say.  “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”  So loving clean stuff is in my genetics.

But the level of elation was a bit surprising to me.  And it caused me to question how and why I could be so dang excited about knocking down those old spider webs!

Then this question popped into my head, likely from God who knew I’d need another blog post idea 😊, “Am I THIS excited about things of a spiritual nature?” 

What about the hope of Heaven?  What about the opportunity to share the Gospel?  What about a fulfilling time of corporate worship?  What about seeing my prayers answered time and time again? What about this ministry God has called me to during this life season? What about knowing that I am a Child of God?

My mind went on and on with experiences that made my sparkling clean house pale in comparison.  I marveled at how God can take virtually any earthly task, and teach me (us) a lesson through it.

I had to honestly acknowledge that my power washing high was completely out of proportion to its ultimate eternal value.  The “what about” paragraph is what REALLY matters in this life.

To be clear, it’s not a bad thing to enjoy a power washing high.  God appreciates cleanliness as much as the Dutch!  He’s wired all of us with certain proclivities and gifts that give us enjoyment. So I’m not going to give up cleaning, and you shouldn’t give up similar activities that bring you joy.

But the message I got, loud and clear, was that I must not neglect or overlook those times of elation that have eternal value. Or perhaps spend some time focusing on that value SO THAT I could experience some divine joy.

To take this full circle, I saw some parallels between the power washing and the cleansing God does in my life through the process of sanctification.

• We can become so accustomed to the dirt and grime on our lives that we aren’t even aware that we need a [Holy Spirit] power washing.  Talk about power!
• The process is NOT always gentle!  Just ask those bugs who managed to survive this onslaught.  Likewise it does not always feel soothing when God does the cleansing.
• The final result is a fresh, sparkling clean exterior.  By contrast, God’s washing works on our more vital interior.
• Sometimes creepy crawly things (sins) are exposed and need to be stomped on by the Master Washer.
• I’ll eventually need to take on this task again in the next couple of years.  While God’s sanctification is ongoing, his ultimate cleansing is permanent, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

Maybe this post has inspired you to take on your own power washing project.  But my prayer is that it would cause you to seek out the ultimate cleansing that can only be done by a loving and powerful God.  May every cleaning project we undertake remind us that God wants to cleanse us inside and out.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

    and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10