How To Put Cleanliness Next To Holiness In 6 Simple Steps

Have you ever had the experience of trying to work at a very cluttered desk, or in a very messy room? Chances are, you decided to take your laptop into another room, or to a coffee shop in order to avoid the mess and be productive. For many of us, cleanliness and concern for our environment is a need. While we were the ones who made the mess in the first place, we still have the impulse to avoid clutter.

It’s easy to imagine that God must feel that way too. When our Heavenly Parent encounters a messy space, He or She must not feel very inspired to work there. If we want to invite God into our lives, we need to make an effort to ensure His and Her comfort. Have you ever watched your mother clean the house frantically before having guests over? Let’s make effort to make God feel welcome in our homes and in our spaces, instead of wondering what that funny smell is.

The world is our home, as much as our living space is. Our outer space reflects (and influences) our inner state and can enhance or hinder our relationship with God. God wants to dwell in a beautiful world.

Father Moon, founder of the Unification faith, said that the owner is the person who loves the most. We want to be true owners of our space, and this includes our homes, our rooms, our cars and the environment. Here are some reasons and ways to keep our space clean, and more than just clean: beautiful!

Build Healthy Habits

Like we discuss here, habitual practices allow us to claim victories throughout the day. By deciding to make our beds every morning, we can build trust in ourselves and practice being people of integrity.

Little Things Make Big Differences

Even though we can’t see all the things that are in the carpet, a space feels better once it has been vacuumed. Likewise, choosing to recycle one cardboard toilet paper roll doesn’t seem like a big deal, until we imagine the accumulation of toilet paper rolls our household goes through in a year. Imagine how many our street goes through! Imagine how many America goes through! Think about the big picture, and feel good about your decision to separate your trash.

Think of Others

Stephanie Watkins, in this article in Harvard Health Publications, discusses the positive physical and mental effects of volunteering, but we don’t need to leave the house to volunteer. We also don’t need to think about the future generations of human beings who need to live in this world in order to have a conscientious day (but by all means, please do). We can think about the person who worked hard to put the food on our plate this evening, and choose to do the dishes without being asked!

Lead By Example

Seeing people do good things inspires action. Whether it’s our children who are learning from the way we run our household, or it’s our friends who observe our compost pile and consider starting their own, our good choices are making an impact.

Act Out of Gratitude

Father Moon tells us that human beings live in an “orchestra of love. The fact that human beings eat from the animal and plant worlds, where love sustains the entire universe through the vitality of life, means that they live off the fruit of love” (Cheon Seong Gyeong, 798). Everything in the world was created by God for us, with so much love. When we hear words like this from Father Moon, it makes us want to treasure the gift that is creation, and make sure that it lasts for a long time.

The Floor Is Yours…

What are some of your practices of cleanliness and conservation? How do you feel inspired to make a positive impact on your house and the environment? Leave us your comments below!