I don't want to start this post off by bragging, but I'm going to. I'm probably one of the cleanest people you'll ever meet. I know that "cleanliness is next to godliness" isn't in the Bible, but by the way I live, you'd think it was.
Ask anyone who knows me at least somewhat well, and they'll tell you I'm one of the cleanest, most organized guys they know. From the closet in my bedroom, to the desktop on my computer in my office at work, everything seems to have it's spotless space, and everything is right where I've organized it to be. My bosses will even come into my office at times, gaze upon my glimmering, spotless desk and ask me why I don't have any work to do or why I'm not working. It's become somewhat of a running joke now, but at first, I really believe that they didn't think I was doing much of anything because of the lack of work looking items on my desk. After all, who could blame them? My workspace does look like it came straight out of a Mr. Clean commercial (dusts off shoulders). Some might call it OCD, others might call it being a perfectionist, but whatever you call it, it is what it is, and it's very, VERY clean.
This morning, my parents came over to my house for a quick minute before we went to breakfast, and of course, before they arrived, I had to make a point to make sure everything was clean and in its place. This entailed me waking up at 7:20 a.m., starting laundry, cleaning my kitchen and bathroom, and vacuuming the house. I knew they were only going to be here for 5-10 minutes, but still, I had to make sure everything was spotless. I'm a freak right?
Yes. Probably.
I'm not sure why I always have to have everything perfect and in order by my standard. In fact, although it may be clean, it probably drives my roommate and others around me crazy at times. They probably get tired of having to try keep things clean on my account, and they probably get annoyed with the weirdness I have of keeping things clean. But despite all the cleanliness and despite all the effort I put into making things look clean, there's still a lot of dirt, and not even my roommate and the people closest to me can see it.
There's something about vacuuming the floor, dusting off the shelves and cleaning the kitchen that makes a home feel clean, especially on the surface. Those are the areas that are visible to the naked eye. But what about the areas that aren't? What about the drawer in the kitchen that's crammed so full of kitchen utensils that they're all in tangled knots? What about the space under all the photo frames that's collected dust for months because they haven't been picked up and dusted under? It's easy to shove something in a drawer or a closet and make things look clean on the surface, but it takes work to do a deep clean and get all the hidden dust, dirt and mess. The same is with life.
It's easy to go through life looking clean on the surface. It's easy to shower, be well groomed and dress the part, but it's hard to get clean what's underneath the surface of the skin. It's hard to detox the soul, cleanse the spirit and get rid of all the messiness that's in the mind. It takes work to clean these things, and they're things that anyone looking at the surface wouldn't know need to be cleaned. Most everyone I know looks just peachy on the outside (minus guys like me trying to get through no shave November when they have no business trying to grow a beard), but I think we all have some mess that we hide on the inside that could use some cleaning.
What's hidden in your closet or stuffed in a drawer? What on the inside needs to be picked up and dusted under?
-Cliff
Cliff's Note: There's always some dirt; even when you can't see it.