House Cleaning

Sometimes I like to help out by cleaning the house so my wife can "take a day off". I recently discovered that the very next day my wife cleans the rooms I just cleaned. "Why", I asked, "would you clean something I have already cleaned?" So she took me to one of the rooms that I had cleaned and asked me, "What do you see?"
"I see a clean room." I replied. Then she turned on all the lights and opened the shades. "Now what do you see?"
I had to admit, there was still dust on just about everywhere I had wiped and little specs of "carpet goobers" on the floor. Then she said something that got me to thinking. "Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there."

    Sin is like dirt. Just because you don't see it, doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there. When I hit my knees and pray at night, I usually go through what I feel is the obligatory list of sins that I need to be forgiven for. I'm not a bad person. I don't run around sinning all day but I am only human. I embellish sometimes or feel the need to boast and be too prideful. I don't always give the glory God richly deserves and various other things of that nature. But that night, as I hit my knees, I thought about the lesson in house cleaning I had received. I mentally turned on the light and pulled the shades in my mind. And as I did, I began to see more and more of the "dirt" that I had missed. I also realized that I was listing my sins perfunctorily and not really feeling sorry for them at all. How can I expect to be forgiven for something I don't feel bad about? I decided to stop listing and start talking to God about what I do and how I feel. Instead of just reeling off the things I do. I spoke to God, as if He had come down and sat on the bed next to me.

I told him about my day, the good and the bad. I had a conversation with my Father who is in heaven and yet is right here with me, all the time. I felt something I haven’t felt in a long time, the closeness and nearness of Him. And I felt love. I felt truly sorry for my sins. I felt truly grateful for the forgiveness of a loving Father.
While I was praying, I asked Him for strength and wisdom and thought of ways I could improve myself. Seeing my sins in the light of the Lords presence helped me to think of ways to avoid the traps that the evil one sets for me. To recognize the events that lead to my frequent sins and how to do things differently.
    Tonight, when you pray to God, don't just pray. Speak to him. Allow Him to come and sit with you and just let it all hang out. You will sleep a lot better if you do. I know I did. And my wife doesn't have to clean up after I clean anymore.
Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.