When I was growing up, my mother had high standards for what clean meant. Housecleaning wasn’t just about appearances. It meant washing walls and baseboards, and scraping gunk out of the windowsills with a butter knife. The smell of Clorox wafting through the air was the scent du jour. By the time I went into the Army, I was well prepared for inspection—because Sarah Nell could give any drill sergeant a run for his money.

From my mother, I learned that looking neat is not the same as being clean. Appearing to have things in order is not the same as being clean. By her standards, it wasn’t enough for something to look clean—it needed to feel clean and smell clean, through and through.

In my mother’s world, there was no shoving things under beds or stuffing them into closets. Nothing was pushed out of sight. She was meticulous about keeping a clean house.

Oh, that we would take such care when considering the contents of our hearts and minds.

Politeness is no replacement for a pure heart. Courtesy is no cover for corrupt intentions. Gentility is a poor substitute for genuine grace and generosity. And no amount of religiosity can reckon with our need for a real and right relationship with God.

Doing what appears to be right is not always the same as doing what is actually right. Doing the right thing must include right intentions and right timing.

Jesus said it like this:

“Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Matthew 23:26-28

Lord, grant us clean hands and pure hearts!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam