I'm Loved: Clean House or Not

My family is coming to visit on Sunday!  They're staying with my grandparents (unfortunately we don't have room for four more people) but Hubby and I will spend as much time as possible with them while they're here.  I can hardly wait!!  It's only been about six weeks since I saw them last, and I know the next time gap will be much longer--either till Thanksgiving or Christmas.  But this will be the first time my parents and siblings will see our apartment.  I have a list on the fridge of what cleaning I want to do before they arrive (and, gulp, I only have three days to finish it!).  I really want my mother, especially, to see that I'm a capable housekeeper and can keep a house clean!  (Mom, if you read this, yes, this is what's going through my mind.)

The house needs cleaning anyway: picking up, dusting vacuuming, etc.  The bathroom got cleaned yesterday; it's always so nice to have a clean bathroom!  This morning I want to get the living room tidied up, dusted and vacuumed.  It really shouldn't take long.  :)

It's not that I'm trying to impress my family...well, I am, to be honest.  And I like having a clean house, so that's a benefit for Hubby and me, too.  But I know I don't have to have a sparkling house to impress my family.  They know I can be messy.  They know I'm not perfect.  They love me anyway, and I know they would whether my house was clean or a disaster!

God is like that.  He looks into our lives and sees the best and the very worst of us.  I sometimes wonder what I'll be doing when Christ returns.  I hope I'll be doing something that's pleasing to him.  But I can't impress God.  He knows how sinful I can be; how disobedient I am to him sometimes (often), how unperfect I am.  But he loves me anyway, whether I'm "good" or not!  The truth is, when God looks at me, he doesn't see sinful, flawed me.  He sees the righteousness of Jesus, which covers me because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection.  He sees the sinless, perfect glory of his Son, even as he knows that I'm a sinner.  He sees the me whom he has forgiven, and continues to forgive daily.

When my parents arrive, they won't care about dust and crumbs on the furniture and floors; they love me because I'm me, not because I can do everything right.  Now, that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive to have a clean house, and to have everything in order!  Just because God loves and forgives us unconditionally doesn't mean we can do whatever we want regardless of whether it's pleasing to God or not.  We obey, love, serve and honor him simply because he is God.  And I want to love, serve and honor my family because they are my family!

So, with that encouragement in mind, I'm going to start getting things done around here!! :)