To Clean or Not to Clean

One of my favorite quotes is, "If you came to see me, come any time. If you came to see my house, make an appointment." I think I might just paint that on a plaque and hang it next to my front door! I used to try to have my house "company ready," but finally realized that was just not realistic. I really do wish I was neater and my house was usually picked up. I am much more relaxed when it is, but I have finally admitted that I am just not that way. Maybe I will be some day, but for now messy is the norm. As I type this, here's what my living room and dining room look like:

The sad thing is, this is a fairly good day!

When company comes over though, I do try to have the house presentable. I've been thinking lately about my motives for this. I don't think it is good to try to make my house perfect for the sake of impressing other people. Sometimes it might make someone feel inadequate, because seriously, whose house is perfect all the time?!? Admit it, you have a spot in your house where all of the clutter gathers. In my house it's the end of the dining room table....and the top of the dishwasher, and the.... So, I started leaving a little of the clutter out when people came over to let them know that I am normal too. Mike even talked about this in a sermon one time. A friend of mine said that what she learned from the sermon was that she's not supposed to clean her house for company. I don't think that was his point, but instead that we don't need to feel the need to impress everyone.

But what if my motive is different? Maybe my attitude needs to be that it makes the guest feel honored that I took the time to clean my house for them. (I suppose they would have to know what the house looked like BEFORE they came over. Hmmm...maybe I should frame the above pictures with a caption that says something like, "This is what my house normally looks like. I cleaned it just for you!") Back to the point. I do believe that a big part of hospitality is making the guest feel welcome and comfortable. Walking into someone's mess might not make a person very comfortable or at ease. Hey, I'm not even at ease in my own mess let alone someone else's. When someone comes into my home, I want them to know they are welcome, that I am glad they are here, and I want them to be able to relax and be themselves.

I guess my point is this: The Bible calls us to be hospitable (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9) and we are not to have any other gods. People can be one of many idols that we put above the One True God, so we try to impress and please them instead of God.

So if your heart is right and your motive is to be hospitable and put your company at ease, then yes clean your house. If not, leave it messy.