I have been a neat freak my entire life. I cannot stand a dish in the sink, a bed un-made, and anything out of place. However…I have a few areas of messiness and I really think it will do me well to confess them today! As a stay-at-home mom I am finding that it’s actually easier to justify these little hidden messes because I just don’t have time to tend to them…and most of the time it’s totally a loosing battle. So to stop putting it off…here we go…my top 5 not-so-clean confessions.
#5- My closet
I know, I know…how does one with a passion for fashion NOT keep her closet immaculate. The problem is the sheer volume of content…as in…immense numbers in articles of clothing, pairs of shoes, stacks of folded garments, accessories, handbags…and the list goes on. I, for the most part, know where everything is…most of the time. I basically have the ‘organized mess’ mentality of my father going on when it comes to my closet…it’s wardrobed according to ideas of what can go with what and what I’ve worn with this and that…and we’re for the most part in between seasons, right…and why is it so fun for my kids to try on my shoes everyday-? No there is no excuse or justification…my closet is a mess. And that’s okay.
#4- My sock drawer
Once again…sheer volume is the problem here. I have the best mother-in-law in the world…for many reasons…her genuine sincerity, her HUGE heart, her incredibly giving spirit, I could go on for days. She happens to be the BEST stocking stuffer EVER! We get the best goodies and every year at Christmas I get like 12-15 pairs of new socks…many of which I have not even opened yet but will this fall. It’s great. However…it leads to massive over-stuffing in my sock drawers…to which there are 2…and it’s spilling over. Yeah, yeah…I need to go through the sock drawers. Who really has time for these things!? Honestly!
#3- My children’s drawers
I have tried…and tried…and tried in noble effort to keep my children’s drawers neatly folded and it never fails in one fell swoop they are looking for one favorite item and wha-la…everything is messed up again. This battle cannot be won. I admit defeat. I will neatly put the folded clothing in there but cannot and will not re-visit it again until the next time I am putting clean laundry away.
#2- The Front Entry closet
Ugh…sheer volume…seriously! Five people sharing a single closet with 4 seasons, backpacks, diaper bags, shoes, boots, hats and, and, and. I straighten it at least once a day but all it takes is one person and a moment of haste of either pulling something out of a pile or throwing a pair of shoes into the bottom to take rows and create a heap and it’s messed up. And…I’m the ONLY one who straightens it of course. So…about 75% of the time…it’s a mess. What are you going to do?
Okay…so before I confess my worst mess, let me reveal one that my wonderful husband helped me overcome with a most generous Christmas gift this year…a jewelry armoire! This gives me hope that someday organization can be introduced into our house in even the worst of calamities! My jewelry was basically all wadded up in one big ball until this past Christmas and now…AAAWWWW…it’s gorgeously organized! Thanks, Baby!
#1- My Drawer
I have a drawer in my kitchen that serves as my main-floor office basically. It houses everything from school papers to coupons, note cards to take-out menus, pens, pencils, a calculator…church stuff, personal stuff, social stuff…it’s the catch-all. I go through and clean it out once a month or so but it stays clean for like a day. If someone doesn’t know where something is…I tell them it’s in my drawer, they can’t find it, I open the drawer and find it…never fails. Needless to say I cannot wait until our office is put back together and I actually have an office again. It will be glorious!
One thing you’ll notice about my messes is that they are all behind closed doors (or drawers). They are hidden and out of plain sight. It’s a great cover-up for a perfectionist. But…of all my colossal hidden messes there is one that surpasses them all…my heart. Before Jesus knocked on that door and I answered and allowed Him to come in, nothing I could do to clean it would work. I was unworthy of heaven until Jesus walked through the door. I praise Him for making it cleaner than I can ever get my closet or my sock drawer or my front entry closet. All of that filth from sin…it’s gone…and that feels pretty good for a clean freak!
Wonders of HIS Love 