Step 4: "We made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves."
As I take note of past hurts, harmful habits, and selfish hang-ups, I just keep digging up dirt. To surrender my life to the Lord for long-term, deep cleaning, I must continue to look for things about which to be brutally honest.
I feel like I'm constantly dealing with nasty mop water.
I get a section of my life processed ... like mopping half a room. But then the water is disgusting. Grateful to be rid of the funk, I empty it out to choose new, fresh water.
In the progress, I force myself to see the good along with the bad. I choose to believe the truth of forgiveness and mercy instead of the enemy's lies about shame and condemnation. I choose to live according to God's promises, and to commit each day to clean and holy living. Mop it up. Rinse it out. Dump it out. Fill it up.
I remember my grandmother could mop her floors and the water wasn't even dirty. Seriously. But let me tell you a few fun facts about her home ...
No one ever wore shoes in her house. Ever. Food was consumed at the kitchen bar or the dining table, washable rugs covered 70% of her floor space, and I think she mopped every day. Ha!
So, no dirt in, a limit set on potential spills, measures of safeguard against wear and tear, and daily attention.
No wonder her mop water was clear! How can I apply this principle to my life as I celebrate recovery?
Dirty influences and muddy temptations are checked at the door. No garbage in. Less garbage out.
Set standard operating procedures that minimize a moral mess ... like screens staying in the family room, plentiful healthful snacks in the pantry, and keeping a gratitude journal.
Have trusted accountability in place so that when life becomes a wreck, partners can bear some of the burden, help keep things in perspective and preserve what's really important.
Daily attentiveness is key.
"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." -Lamentations 3:40
Thank You, God, for tools that bring discipline. Thank You for mercifully dumping my dirty water "into the sea of forgetfulness" again and again; and for faithfully refilling my bucket with clean and pure water ... so I can keep mopping. Please redeem my messes into a message of hope.
