So… Cleanliness is next to Godliness, they say, but let me be the Devil’s advocate for a moment, please, and bear with me down the winding path.
One of the factors leading to my “cool grandma” status, is allowing the grandchildren to get dirty, do messy stuff, and use my tools. There are days you would be horrified to see the mess left in the wake of grandkid projects, but they are so happy when they’ve successfully created something.
We all know cleanliness may be next to Godliness; however, God is also a Master Creator, and I’ve never worked with a creative person whose work area was “clean.”
If you are a painter, there are always paint splatters, paint brushes, your clothes, the floor, your hair, and whatever else you touched that needs to be cleaned.
If you do crafting, its always the glue, the tiny scraps of whatever you cut, stuff that fell on the floor and stuck to your shoe, leftover pieces that need to be cleaned, and the "stuff" the vacuum refuses to pick up.
If its woodworking, it’s the sawdust, the stain, and splinters in your hand. Heck, I can’t even draw on the sidewalk without being covered in chalk dust.
You just absolutely cannot bring something new into this world without some mess. Just ask an OB nurse if you need confirmation of that!
So, what is my point?
If you hold on too tightly to the admonishment that cleanliness is next to Godliness, you may expect your life to be simple and easy. Everything in its place, nothing to worry or complain about. You may expect to live your life on Easy Street, and end up being very frustrated when things don’t go according to your plan.
Therefore, I ask you to consider this perspective. Being created in God’s image makes us creators, too. And, as I said, creation is messy. This is why sometimes our lives seem so complicated. There are always problems to be dealt with. Things are put in our path, both good and bad, that we never expect. "Stuff" changes all of the time. We have to learn how to be the engineers and architects of our own growth, the explorers that carve out the path when we can’t see what lies ahead, and most importantly, mentors to assist those brave (or foolish) enough to follow us.
I guess my point is – Get messy. Get dirty. Get involved!
Life ain’t easy, so share what you know, support who you can, and work together to creatively follow the path to happiness.
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