We were given a little robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas. It is a very small little round thing that passes over the floors to clean them. It runs on a rechargeable battery, has some sort of GPS type programming that will direct it back to the charging station when the battery gets low. Kinda spooky really...
I was gracious when we received the little dirt collecting gift. But honestly, I was not expecting to enjoy the thing. I didn't expect it to do much. I mean, how much dirt can a battery operated, self-propelled vacuum cleaner collect?
You would be shocked. I was.
I came home from work one day and Rosie was doing her thing. (Remember The Jetson's? And their Rosie the robot maid?) We were sitting in the living room on another night and I heard a sound...Yep, it was Rosie. She was coming down the hall. It is a little creeply, but we are getting used to it.
Rosie has a small compartment that catches what she picks up off our floors. When she makes her pass thru our house, that little compartment is packed full of dust, lint, and little bits of trash. Every time it is packed full, from one day to the next. And there are only two people and a small poodle in this house! And the two people are gone all day 5 days of the week!
We are clean, grown adults. The dog is old, does't shed, and sleeps all day long. Where in the world does this all the dirt come from?!?
I keep expecting Rosie to do her job and the compartment to be empty. No. It is full.
Every. Single. Time.
There is always some dirt to collect isn't there? If you go to all the corners, look closely at the beaten paths, you will find some dirt.
I kinda liked it when I didn't know it was there. Now that I do, I want Rosie to do her thing every day.
The Lord has used this little dirt collecting machine to illustrate several things to me.
People too can find dirt. I can find dirt. Persistence and close scrutiny will reveal plenty of it.
It won't take much scrutiny for you to see it in me, and I can easily find it in you. None of us are without flaw, we all have dirt in our lives. We all have those dusty corners and paths we tread daily, paths where we drop little bits of our unclean words or unkind and un-Christlike behavior.
The Holy Spirit can certainly find dirt. In my life, in my behavior, in my attitudes, in every nook and corner, it is there and He can pull it out of the hiding places. All I must do is allow Him to roam around my heart and mind like Rosie roams my house.
I purpose that I do not attempt to hide the filth. I want to be clean. And to be clean, it must be a continual process.
I purpose to attend to my own house. It is not my responsibility to collect the dirt in yours. And even if you are inspecting mine, I purpose to be confident that God has got me in His hand. Your scrutiny can not negate what His cleansing power accomplishes.
But I can. By my own rebellion and disobedience.
Lord God, help me to leave the dirt collecting to you. And while you are at it, help all of us do the same.
" Keep your behavior excellent .... so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:12 NASB)
" Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns" (1 Peter 2:12 The Living Bible)
