I cleaned out the garage!!

A little DIY carpentry project with my good friend Jennifer (check out her blog at http://www.stilllivingthedream.com/ as she is mucho awesome) led to an entire afternoon of cleaning the garage.  I swept, dusted, threw away, reorganized and decluttered. When I was done all I could think was, "I guess we'll never be able to use the garage again."  It was just so clean!  When the boys came in and threw their scooters down all haphazard and willy-nilly I almost lost it!  Could they not see the new and clearly designated scooter parking zone?  Seriously!!

I have to admit this is not the first time I've had this feeling.  I also tend to get this way when I clean bathrooms, the kitchen, the living room, bedrooms, the linen closet.  You know, like let's just go ahead and move to the fort out back so none of this stuff I spent all this time cleaning gets messed up.

Yes, I know.  It's stupid.

And it brings to mind this scripture. 

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical need, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14-17

We have to clean out the garage from time to time.  It's a good thing (less you have recently read the Mary and Martha scripture and think that means don't clean your house...don't even get me started on that one!!).  We have to tend to our faith, nurture it, let it grow.  Go to church, study scripture.  But then we've got to use it!!  James says, "You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that--and shudder" (v. 19).  Your faith simply can not stop at a belief or what is there to separate you from even the Evil one?  Anyone can believe.  But when our faith and actions work together, our faith is made complete (v. 22). 

Put to good use the things you spend so much time tending to.  In your schools, in your neighborhood, at your workplace.  Put your faith into action.  Your life is not a museum.  Don't live it like one. 

XOXO...Kelly