To Clean Or Not To Clean - Addendum To Tracy's Blog On Cleaning

Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.
Galatians 5:1 (cev)

Alright Tracy I love this one. Let's do this!

I have to give you a bit of background here. I responded to this blog the other day and just as I was about to post it, my computer said server error try again in 30 seconds well I kept trying for many minutes and realized that I was not going to be able to retrieve what I was about to post. It was very late so I am not sure if this was my computer lack of skill + tiredness or if it was God wanting me to share this message differently than I had just shared it or if it was an attack from darkness trying to prevent me from sharing this because it was meant to be shared and was going to be used by Holy Spirit to help someone, somewhere. Whatever it was this topic has not left me and many new and exciting insights have been coming to my mind. For me this is a signal that it is time to share.

This is so exciting. You know, it is easy (ok maybe not easy especially with the issues that hurt and bound me for so many years and when they were attached to so much shame to share an issue that I am free from (eg in my past I had eating disorders but I got treatment almost 7 years ago by the Drs. and I was able to not have eating disorders anymore but when I became a follower of Christ and began the process of surrendering my whole Life to His ways for some reason He FREED me from food issues (not just like the Drs. taught me what to do but He took that issue away from me)) but to share an issue that I am still struggling with is much closer to the core and harder to bring out in the open. Yet I bet that is exactly what will be the most healing and helpful and allow Holy Spirit to work through us to help us heal collectively.

When I was healing from the eating disorders I went through a process. The first decision I made was that it was more important to live than spend my life controlling (actually being out of control) what I ate and my weight. So I gave up my physical body and told myself no matter what is in store for me health and weight wise I surrender. At the hospital I ate whatever type and amount of food that was presented to me no matter what I thought about it and how those thoughts made me feel. Usually the Drs. stabilize your weight within a healthy zone during the program however I was the first person they had ever had that was going through the program carrying a child so they did not do the stabilization part for me. By the time I had Ezra I was quite large and even had to use a cane when my knee was acting up due to the extra weight. For several years and another pregnancy I would not go near anything that was to do with control of my food or exercise because I did not know how to control my eating and exercise in the flesh safely(staying away from getting back into the cycle of control and loss of it that encompassed the eating disorders).

Yes I will be relating this to cleaning, really I am getting there.

After I met Jesus and gave this part of my Life to Him, He started guiding me through Holy Spirit on how to eat. Not only was I free from the chains that bound me but to my surprise my body was balancing out to a healthier size. For His purposes my body is gradually balancing out. Eating is safe for me when I am following the guidance of the Spirit. God is a God of order and His ways balance out over the long haul (no quick fixes) So an eg. of eating in Spirit is I may think I do not want a treat but if it is offered in fellowship I have it and enjoy it (yum) and I get satisfied. If I think I want a treat but for the wrong reasons (I am upset about something) I say no to myself. The same goes for eating what I think of as healthy foods because for me healthy eating was just as much an issue of control as unhealthy eating. If I check my heart and mind and ask myself the purpose of my eating choice then Holy Spirit guides me and if I stay in obedience to Him then my body is balancing out. When I justify eating the way I want my body feels like crap.

So now back to cleaning. This is an area of my life that I am not free in yet. I say people before things and I believe it but I do not know how to walk it yet. I can get caught up in 'the battle' if I am not very careful. I see signs that warn me I am not free. I have given up the dream of a clean fung shuay(spelling-sorry) home but I must be holding on to some of the chains that go with that dream when it is done in the flesh and not through the spirit. When I say no to situations that the Holy Spirit is guiding Rick and I to (eg. inviting people over for fellowship) then I know that I am bound (controlled) by this somehow. When I start dealing with situations with a fight or flight response then I know I am still bound.

I need to continue to put God's Word in my mind so He renews my thoughts and the Holy Spirit can guide me into how to ask and receive a clean fung shuay home in the Way that is Christ-like. I know God wants us to be in a nice clean orderly environment because He is a God of order. But I wonder if the house and it's order is simply a tool He uses to bring us to His Order for His purposes because after all it really isn't about my home and it's state after all is it. He will use my home and all of Life for His Purposes. God is soooo good

Does this mean I am going to do nothing about our home until I am Free? Absolutely not. I am going to press in, pray for guidance to accomplish this task and continue trying as I learn His Ways of doing it. Until the day our Lord and Saviour sets me Free to the home of my dreams just show up for a visit (I may be too bound to invite you-i'll pray on that) and you will be welcomed for fellowship or maybe we could get together at Tim Hortons oops I mean Starbucks for a visit.

So I pray Holy Spirit will show me how to ask for the things that would make Life enjoyable in the Way that is of Life(Jesus) and I pray that if there is anything any of you are getting caught up in the flesh instead of being Free in the Spirit that our Lord reveals it to us and we continue to be set free.

Well I got to go and get something to eat and do some cleaning. See Ya All.