Open House

How would you feel if anyone could walk through your house right now, open all the cabinets, look behind the refrigerator, see if everything is working, and take inventory of how you live? What if they could look into your life the same way?

My house went up  for sale on Tuesday. Yesterday, today, tomorrow and this weekend people are scheduled to look at every inch of it, comparing it to others and assessing each and every part. Not long ago it was a big deal to invite even friends to my house. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. There were too many projects unfinished, the counters were covered with mail and kids’ papers, and clutter camped out in a lot of places. So when friends did visit, it was a production! The countertops were cleared by throwing everything into a box and then into my bedroom, a fast cleaning was done, and clothes were tossed into the closet, shutting the doors as fast as we could so nothing would tumble out.

If friends would drop by unannounced, I would panic! This process was put in high gear! I have even been known to get out the vacuum and put it in plain site to say, “oh, come on in, don’t mind the mess, I was just cleaning”. Or I might add, “it’s a little crazy around here, I’m in the process of redecorating and doing some projects” (which of course I always was…they just never got done!).

My life was the same way. On the outside, around everyone, I had it all together. I didn’t need anyone’s help, I was confident, proud, and self-assured. From the outside, it all looked great. I only let others see what I wanted them to see, never opening the rooms of my life that held all the “junk”. I was always worried that someone “would stop by” and discover the mess that was lurking inside. If friends began to see the “clutter”, I would make an excuse or say something like, “it’s ok, it’s just a busy week”, or “I’m good, I’m working on it and it’s coming along”. Very few ever got a glimpse into the disaster that hid behind the doors.

Today my house is open for all to see…and so is my life. As people walk through, they may not like the way I’ve arranged the furniture, they may criticize the paint on the walls, and they will judge every room. As they check out the house, they will also see all the good. They will see potential. They will see a house that’s in order with a few things out of place but correctable. Some of these people may know me, some may not. Some may know what the house used to look like, before all the remodeling…before all the cleaning. For others, it’s their first look and I can tell them how it used to be. I welcome them all in.

Today, like my house, my life is open for inspection. It’s not always been good, but there’s no more hiding. Look inside and you will see a life that’s in pretty good order, improving every day. “Projects are done”, “the remodeling has been finished”, and the “dirt under the refrigerator has been cleaned out”. There are always new projects and more cleaning, but now am moving forward. Whether it’s your first look or you know where I’ve been, I welcome you all in.

To feel so liberated is an awesome feeling…a feeling I want everyone who hides “the junk” to know. That is why I am a part of Walls Down Church. That is what I will spend the rest of my life doing. That is part of the life the Jesus promised.