SLAPPING LIPSTICK ON A PIG

 Did that title grad you?  

Where could I possibly be going?  I am currently painting closets in my new to me house.  It is no secret to the world that I love neat and tidy.  I can't sleep if I go to bed in a dirty house.  SO the first order of business has been being certain I am moving into a house that is not only clean--but has a fresh coat of paint.  What's NOT to love about that?  NOW--clean in my book means cleaning every nook and cranny.  Everything is wiped out and down before the paint goes on.  The drawers and cabinets all have new fresh liners.  AND the closets are not only wiped clean, but freshly painted.  I have learned from past experience---the newly painted walls in the rooms are somehow dimmed when you open a closet door and find a dingy-scuffed wall, door, and shelves.  SO I am painting.

This need for in depth clean started at a young age--Momma taught me well how to clean from the top down.  Nothing was left out--with scrubbing baseboards my specialty.  Yes, I notice the baseboards when I walk into a room.  She taught us all (even the two brothers) when you clean--you do it right.  There was never any dirt--even behind closed doors, drawers, and cabinets.  She taught us the same thing about personal hygiene.  We were scrubbed until we were rosy.  I can remember sending my own pre-teen boys back to the showers when I caught a whiff of what might have been a less than thorough shower the first time around.  There was more to clean than what was on the surface--clean is from the inside out. 

All the health advice you read warns us about what we put into our bodies will affect our well being.  Junk in--leads to health issues down the road.  We will function only as good as our diet.  You can bet your bottom dollar premier athletes not only train their outer body--muscles, but also are well aware of what they are putting inside those machines to fuel them.

When I learned to drive, one of the things I was warned about was buying "good" gasoline and taking care of the maintenance of a car.  Many of the systems which make our life easier and more pleasant--require regular maintenance to operate at highest efficiency.  We must take care of the motors, etc--which are often hidden behinds doors and hoods to expect the highest performance.

So it goes with our souls----WHAT are you feeding your soul?  Their is an epidemic which is not talked about openly of huge proportions.  The epidemic of pornography.  The slippery slope of sin has lead us to a world filled with no taboos.  Anything goes, but is "anything" best for our souls?  Is what we are watching--what we are exposing our minds to making us the best we can be from the inside out?  A personal question for you today--on the cleanliness of what your are exposing your soul to.  A deep and profoundly important question of  are you slapping lipstick on a pig (no offense to pigs-only meant for an example)?  Do we come off pious and righteous--and all the while feed our minds with a diet of darkness?  I am NOT judging---I have my own struggle with some of the mindless chatter I watch on television.  BUT these clean closets are causing me to think!

"For all that is IN THE WORLD-

the desires of the flesh

and the desires of the eyes

and pride of life-

is not from the Father

but is from the world"

I John 2:16