Cleanliness, Godliness and me

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

The annual January organization blitz is in full force this year. The release of Marie Kondo's follow up to “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” the rise of "Bullet Journals," and of course the sales on bins and organization systems all promise new ways to make our lives more orderly.

I am the first to admit I am in great need of such systems. I am a terrible housekeeper (sorry Mom - you did teach me better). And since I stopped working regularly, the lack of structure in my day means time seems to get away from me more, and I'm not as productive. 

So the Kondo book is on order, and I actually kind of like this Bullet Journal thing to keep my runaway thoughts and lists in one place. Maybe 2016 will be the year I restore some order and sanity to my life.

Since our physical world is so connected to the spiritual, the need for order has religious implications as well. In this Washington Post column, Author Karen Swallow Prior explores this connection. She clarifies "cleanliness is next to Godliness" is John Wesley, not the Bible, but adds the saying is rooted in a long history of connections between physical and spiritual cleanliness.

"The desire to create order amid chaos, to resist the dirt of decay, reflects the order and purity of the one who created us," she said.

But if taken to extreme, cleanliness and tidiness can bring us to a Pharisaical scrupulousness. The Old Testament is full of rules for cleanliness.

Worse, as we immerse ourselves in this organizational overhaul we can start to think we control the world around us. When it doesn't fit in our nice, neat boxes, we are lost. Even Kondo has a place for things that are necessary but don't fit in her mantra of "sparking joy," like can openers. Life can't always be ordered according to our wishes. 

Cleanliness and tidiness are certainly marks of good stewardship for what God has given us. But God is always in control. In that knowledge, we find peace.

May you be blessed with a clean house, and more importantly a right spirit.

The light has come!

"They were overjoyed at seeing the star." Matthew 2:10

Happy Epiphany!

Today's Gospel revolves around a star casting such a great light it attracted the magi from a distant land. 

It's the culmination of the last 12 days of Scripture about Christ as the light of the world: 

On Christmas Eve: "The glory of the Lord shone around them."

The Second Sunday of Christmas: "This life was the light of the human race."

And today, the appearance of the star. 

Thanks to my first winter in Germany, I finally get it. 

It is dark here, y'all. People warned me. They told me to take my Vitamin D. But nothing really prepares you for sunset at about 4:30 p.m. and sunrise at 8:45 a.m. The picture here is our walk to Kindergarten a little after 8. Even at "high" noon, the sun is just over the houses across the street.

Darkness oppresses and isolates. I don't want to get out of bed, and I would rather just hole up in the house. Darkness heightens fear and encourages suspicion. It limits us.

But in the light -- in Christ -- we can see the beauty of the world. We trust our senses and our judgement of the people and places we encounter. We are free.

In the German church, Epiphany is still celebrated on the 6th of January, and it marks the official end of the Christmas season. The city will pick up our tree tomorrow, and the decorations will return to the basement.

But the light remains. We will continue to celebrate with Karneval, and each day will bring a little more light. 

May we reflect the same light of Christ in our lives.

Rejoicing in routine

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving." - Colossians 4:2

Happy New Year! 

Today is the first Monday of 2016, which always feels like the first real day of the year. Husband returned to work. Kiddo goes back to school tomorrow, and I am praying for a sense of routine and normal.

A few months ago, my friend Katie posted this piece she called "The Thrill of the Dull and Mundane Life." I think she expected the title to be paradoxical, but to me it sounded an elusive dream. 

"On one of my hardest mornings," she wrote. "I waved goodbye to Andrew from the porch and, seeing a plane soar overhead, I cried because I wished so painfully that I were on it."

As I read that paragraph, I cried because I so wanted her normal routine of home and kids and school and church. 

For about six months, we have lived in a state of semi-controlled chaos. From learning of our new assignment, to moving to figuring out what it means to live abroad, nothing has been normal. Being in Europe is great, but despite my Facebook posts, it's not all travel and adventure. We have to LIVE here.

Everything -- from banking to grocery shopping to taking out the garbage - requires a language/cultural interpretation. Everything takes longer than I think it should. Those little things add up, so something as simple as looking at a cook book is likely to lead to frustration when I realize I can't get cheddar cheese or cream of chicken soup for a casserole.

A recent near-catastrophe at the bank reminded me of the power of gratitude. Once it was resolved, and I realized I had not in fact lost $1300, I went to the Christmas program at the Kindergarten. The kids sang, and we ate cookies, and I felt a renewed sense of thanksgiving. All of the other frustrations of the day melted away.

Paul wrote the above passage while he was in prison. He must have been frustrated and scared, but this chapter doesn't show it. Instead he speaks with confidence and thanksgiving that his ministry will continue. In thanksgiving, he keeps perspective on the mission.

I still pray for some sense of normal, and I'm hopeful that the new year will bring more routine. But my resolution is to live with more gratitude, and in this Year of Mercy, to pray for God's mercy. 

No matter where 2016 takes us, a spirit of thanksgiving means we will always feel God's blessings.