"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
"We're going to be coming to Detroit next week... is it ok if we stay with you?"
I honestly love receiving these types of messages from family and friends, especially around the holidays, but I have to admit that things usually get pretty tense the night before our guests are scheduled to arrive. Cobwebs and dust that usually go unnoticed suddenly seem to appear in every direction now that we are striving to become a five star "bed and breakfast". Floors that we thought were clean now seem to appear to be dirty and need of scrubbing. And what originally seemed to be a well-stocked refrigerator now seems to be filled with numerous mysteries requiring us to play the game... "Can you identify this leftover?"
Being empty nesters and no longer having children around to help, Ken and I function best by utilizing the "divide and conquer" mentality, so we start by making "To Do" lists for each of us. Even the dog is held responsible for carrying his own weight and picking up his toys. After what seems like forever, we finally are able to sit back and admire the finished product of our labor.
However, it seems inevitable that no matter how hard we work to clean the obvious, my sweet and dear husband seems to find a way to reveal the secret hiding spots that hold all of the clutter of our home. Usually, only the strong and brave of heart enter into these locations, but Ken seems to enjoy putting them on public display... "I've got one of those in the attic, come up here and I'll get it for you"... "Can you take a look at something down in our basement storage closet?"... "You can use the sink in our laundry room. Just don't trip over the mountain of dirty clothes that are covering the floor in the process!" Each time that we try to prepare, despite our best efforts, we still find spots that remain dirty.
The season of Advent begins this Sunday. During Advent, we prepare our hearts to focus and celebrate the coming of Jesus. However, during this time of preparation and anticipation, we also recognize all of the sin and clutter that has accumulated in our own lives and how much we need a Savior to remove all of this junk. We rejoice that we have a loving God who loved us so much that He gave us the best gift EVER... His only Son to be our Savior and rescue us from our sin-filled lives.
During this Advent season, may you experience the joy of knowing how much your heavenly Father loves you!
In His love,
Mrs. Palka