Thanksgiving Cleaning

How many of you are busy getting ready for Thanksgiving company by closing doors and stuffing things under the sofa? I'll never admit to all the places I've been known to hide my dirty laundry before Thanksgiving guests come over. Let's just say that there's a certain large storage area in the basement that needs a padlock. I've thought about recording sounds from a ferocious dog and telling guests that "Killer" won't bother them as long as they stay out of the storage room.

I'm not sure all laundry and housecleaning we do to get ready for Thanksgivingis healthy anyway. For instance, I've heard that the scum on windows is a UV protectant-sun screen! Wash the windows and you could be increasing the skin cancer risk for friends and relatives.

And instead of cleaning dust bunnies, why not just gather them around the doors and windows and tell the relatives they are there to keep out drafts? Or maybe the dust looks enough like wheat flour that folks will think it's from all the baking. If you try that one, make sure you remember to shove those bakery boxes deep into the trash can.

Know what I'm thankful for? I'm thankful that Jesus doesn't love me based on how clean my house is. He looks at the heart. And guess what! He's the one who cleaned it up. Not the way I clean (praise God). But rather, His heart cleaning is eternal. Isaiah 1:18 in The Living Bible says, "'Come, let's talk this over!' says the Lord; 'no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!'" Thoughthe versesounds like the ultimate in laundry joy, it's really even better than having your colors bright and your whites white. It's enjoying freedom from the stain of sin. Now there's some food for praise this Thanksgiving!

Depending on your personality and your various cleaning hangups, if you're having Thanksgiving dinner at someone else's house, that may be food for thanksgiving, too. By the way, if you really want to find out what they're made of, take a look in their basement.

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Contributed by Rhonda Rhearrhea@juno.comRhonda Rhea writes for dozens of great Christian publications and speaks at conferences and events across the country. You can find her new book, Amusing Grace, at your local Christian bookstore. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is a pastor in Troy, Missouri. You can reach them through her Web site atwww.rhondarhea.net