Many years ago someone told me "if you point a finger at someone just remember that there are Three fingers pointing right back at you".
The profound nature of this statement is mare adequately summed up by one of my favorite although poignant sayings it is this: In general the biggest problem you have with others happens to be the biggest problem you have with yourself.
This is painful to hear and not a good idea to say to someone (instead just leave this blog up and let them "discover it on their own", I'll take the heat for you). In this line of thought I have become enthralled with a show on the Style Network called Clean House Where a team goes to a filthy house and tries to sell the cause of the clutter at a yard sale, then uses the money gained to remodel the house. This show can be very entertaining and infuriating, watching people cling to the most ridiculous items even when they are assured of receiving much better in the trade. It reminds me of a thought by C.S. Lewis where he equated our relation with God to the remodeling of a house. Initially God changes the color of the paint and we say, wow that is great thanks, but then he knocks down a wall and we say, hey easy there, and only as things progress we see that he isn't remodeling our house he is destroying it and building a mansion for us.
This is the point the people on the show arrive at when they come home and finally see what idiots they have been, and some still are.
During these shows I tend to become agitated and want to yell at these people until I remember the aforementioned line and realize that I am clinging to items in my possession that I had no need for, So I start selling (my wife did the selling I just said okay) and I felt much better. Then I watched one episode where the house was absolutely filthy and once again I realized That I could do a better job keeping my house clean, so rather than feel self righteous about my lack of things I had to repent from my habit of filth and clean up.
Now I see that God has decided to use this moment to teach me one more thing, aparently now it is time to clean out the things in my day that barricade his spirit from comuning with my soul. Until I quit doing the things that clutter my mind and keep me from clearly seeing the image of Christ and repent of the filth that has clouded my sights I am short changing myself just like the people on the show.
More than anything I need to look within and focus on the only house I can really clean, Mine and until that one is perfectly clean I have no right to tell others how to clean theirs but I can love them with the love of Christ whose house is spotless.