At Home with Susan
Monthly Column by Susan Sikes

I am sure you have heard the expression, “Cleanliness is Next to Godliness.” I believe I may have discovered where this ancient Hebrew proverb came from. God Himself gave instructions for cleaning way back in the Old Testament. Before I begin reading the Bible, I usually pray and ask the Lord to help me be able to apply His word to my life. The other day, He opened up His word for me in Leviticus of all places. He showed me a very clear application as He directed the Israelites in the cleansing of their homes from mildew.

In Leviticus 14:33-53, the Lord pronounced any house found with mildew to be unclean. He even went as far as to have the residents move everything out of the house for a week. The priests would have to do an inspection throughout the house. If after a week, the mildew had not spread, they would remove the infected stones and dispose of them outside of the town. The stones would then have to be replaced with new “clean” stones. However, if the mildew had spread at all, the entire house had to be destroyed!

My first thoughts for application were literal. It is past time for me to do a thorough “Spring Cleaning” in my home. I do feel that this is important, not only for hygienic reasons, but also as a means of stewardship. When I do not do good upkeep on my home, I feel as if I am not taking care of the blessings that the Lord has given me. Again, it is very clear that the Lord is a Lord of cleanliness and order. Here are a few tips to help as you clean your physical home.

• Bleach is great to remove mold & mildew.
• To clean silk arrangements or hard to dust items, spray them with Lysol.
• Jewelry can be soaked in sudsy ammonia overnight.
• Always try to dry off the shower doors and bathroom fixtures after each use.
• If you have a hairspray film on your bathroom mirror, try cleaning it with rubbing alcohol.

Next, the Lord laid something even more important on my heart; I need to search my spiritual home and do a “Spring Cleaning” in it. “Mildew” tends to creep into our lives without us even noticing. We need to spend a little time looking for the unclean areas. If we do not find them and have them removed, they will spread just like mildew and infect the whole house. Once we have removed the infected stones, we must replace them with good stones.

I have already started my search around the house. I am looking in discreet areas: the movies and TV shows that I watch, the music I listen to, books that I read, thoughts and attitudes that I may have, and especially the words that leave my mouth. Not only will these things affect my life; they will affect the lives of my family as well. I must take it to the Priest for inspection and let Him show me any areas that need to be cleansed! 

© 2007 by Susan Sikes