"Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!" Psalm 31:23a

Sweeping the Stairs

 Sweeping the stairs is not an easy job in our old farmhouse.  They're steep, narrow and carpeted, and our vacuum hose is not long enough.  If the job is to be done well, the machine must be pulled up the steps with one hand while the other hand wields the hose.  This requires coordination, not my strong suit, and since floors and dishes are the two major kid chores in our house, sweeping the stairs usually falls to one of them.  Sort of. 

Since this chore is such a hassle, it's something that doesn't usually get done without a direct order from Sgt. Mom, and even then, they'll usually use the little hand-held dustpan brush to swipe dirt, etc. over the side of the steps instead of using the vacuum.  I understand.  I do.  As hard as it is for my kids to imagine, I was a kid once, too.  But carpeted stairs don't really get clean in this way, so every once in a while, when I can't stand it any longer, I risk life and limb, and sweep the stairs myself.

            The other day, as I was sweeping the top of each step as well as its riser, poking the attachment tool into those annoying little dust-collecting crevices along the wall, the fundamental difference between my sweeping and my kids' sweeping came to me. When they're sweeping, their goal is to get done so they can go do something they want to do like ride their bike, or eat another peanut butter sandwich. But when I'm sweeping, my goal is to have clean stairs.  I like clean stairs!  The sight of them is satisfying to me, even restful.  I'd even go so far as to say that I probably sleep better in my second-floor bedroom if I've climbed clean stairs to get there!  So what's the fundamental difference between my kids' stair-sweeping and mine?  Is it skill level?  Priorities?  Maturity?  Maybe in part, but mostly I think it has to do with ownership.  My kids are sweeping someone else's stairs because they have to, but I am sweeping my own because I want to. 

            How do we see our Christian walk?  Do we carry out acts of service or obedience to God's Word because someone else -- a pastor, our parents, a friend -- have told us that we should? Do we serve because we'll feel guilty if we don't? Or because we fear the consequences if we don't?  Do we "serve" resenting the time it takes away from doing something else we'd rather be doing?

 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. John 14:24

 Or is love the motivation for what we do?

 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me; he will keep My word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him." John 14:23

             What an amazing promise! God the Father and God the Son making their home with us! It's family that shares a home. Do we do sweep the stairs in this Family home because we feel we have to, or because we want to? Why are you serving?  Are you serving? Do you own your own faith, your own love relationship with Jesus?  Are your acts of service motivated by love, or are you still just sweeping someone else's stairs?

 Daye Phillippo

July 2011