What's Allowed?

What’s the first thing you do when you walk in the door of your house? At my house, I will most likely kick off my shoes and step into the kitchen to wash my hands. I can’t say that this was always a habit, but living in the midst of a pandemic has changed me in a few ways. Most of you are probably like me and your home is your safe place and in your safe place only certain things are allowed to take up residence. I recently experienced an unwanted visitor in my safe place. A cockroach! I can already see you cringing through the screen. With my ninja-like reflexes I got the insect off the ceiling, onto the floor, and beat it to death with a shoe. Why such drastic measures you may ask? Because this creature infiltrated my safe place and I do not take that lightly.

In the last few months we have been warned to keep guests out of our house, germs out of our house and our family in the house. We have taken precautionary measures to rid our safe place of unwanted sickness and infection and use whatever means necessary to keep our family safe from unwanted and unseen visitors. We fight for the things we love and protect those we care about the most.

What things are not allowed in your house? You may have a rule list hanging somewhere in your home or simply an unwritten code of conduct. What things, when allowed in your house, threaten the safety, peace, and well-being of your family? What do you do to keep those things out? Let’s go back to the bugs for just a minute. Not only did I ensure the death of the roach, I found trespassing on my ceiling, I was determined to keep any of his friends far at bay. I cleaned the house, did the research, bought the bug spray, and called others for advice. There was no way I was going to allow this threat to take up residence in my safe place.

Now pretend it’s not a cockroach. Maybe it’s a time waster, something that easily captures your attention and makes you lose focus from your family and your time with God. Possibly it’s a bad attitude that produces bitterness and causes you to say things you never wish to say to those you love. It could be an addiction, and having it accessible in your home causes your family to view you as an entirely different person. Whatever your unwanted visitor may be, what actions do you take to get it away from your family and out of your home?

Now, to clarify this upfront, this is not a shame game. Hopefully, you don’t think less of me because I had bugs in my house. I don’t think less of you because you may have things in your house you wish were not there. God doesn’t judge you either. He knows we all mess up and that's the whole reason he sent his son Jesus. But, God loves us enough to teach us a better way. Jesus says in John 10:10 “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus cares so much about your joy and well being that he is willing to let you lose things that are less important. Your family’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health is worth the time, effort, and even pain it takes to rid your home of what does not belong. 

Today, take some moments to bask in God’s grace. Thank Jesus for His immense love for you that He displayed by giving up everything to know you. Ask God for awareness and strength to rid your home of the things that are not of him and pray for His wisdom to keep them from coming back. Then watch and see as God uses your home, your family, and your life to put his faithfulness and love on display.

Posted on November 24, 2020