At the risk of sounding slightly deranged, I’m going to go ahead and say this anyway:

I’ve very much enjoyed cleaning my house the past couple weeks. Before you rush over to my house to take my temperature or recommend a psychologist, let me explain.

As you know, I owned and operated a daycare for the last 4 1/2 years, and a couple of weeks ago, I sold it. (To a wonderful young lady who is doing an excellent job with the kiddos, I might add!) For those years, I barely had time to sit down, much less do any deep cleaning in my house.

Oh, I did the weekly vacuuming and daily laundry, of course. But I only did the stuff I had to do. Cleaning out closets, cupboards, and organizing was out of the question. There just wasn’t enough time in the day.

But now my schedule has drastically changed. I spend my mornings writing, working on my blog, and doing an online course. In the afternoons, I’m deep-cleaning the various places in my home that have been collecting clutter. I’m enjoying bringing a bit more organization to our home, and discovering a few things in the process. 🙂

When I tackled the pantry and freezer, I had to stop and laugh at myself. I found SO MUCH food I didn’t know we had.

Buried in the bottom of our chest freezer, I found enough meat and bread to last quite awhile. I found three gallons of ice cream and several packages of frozen vegetables that had been buried for months.

The pantry was even worse. Things were squished, stacked, and mashed together so badly I had no idea what was in there. I discovered 10 cans of cream of chicken soup, 12 cans of tomato soup, and 4 boxes of instant rice. (Not the small boxes, mind you—the big family-sized ones!) 🙂

I’m happy to report that everything in my freezer and pantry is now organized and clearly visible. I know exactly what we have, and writing out my shopping list is a breeze. We are enjoying food from both the freezer and pantry.

It occurred to me the whole scenario is a lot like neglecting the Word of God in our lives. 

I had a lot of food in my house.

But I was too busy to keep track of it, and so out of sight became out of mind.

It wasn’t doing anyone any good sitting on a shelf or buried in the freezer. No one could enjoy it or be nourished by it.

You most likely own multiple copies of the Bible. Perhaps there’s a couple on your shelf, one beside your bed, one you carry to church.

The words within the covers of your Bible have the power to transform your life, infuse your thoughts and actions with the power of God, and nourish your soul.

But that won’t happen until you pick up the Word of God, read it, meditate on it, and apply it to your life.

If you don’t read the Bible on your shelf, it will do you as much good as the food buried in my freezer.

As we begin a new week, let’s commit to a time each day reading and meditating on the powerful Word of God.

You may be starving without even realizing it.

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) 

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (II Timothy 3:16)

“Thy word in a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)