While living with mono these past few months, I have realized more and more the importance of maintaining shared space. The kids are out of school today and my husband informed them they would be cleaning up the house. As my daughter was emptying out the trash in the kitchen she commented how it was funny that when I told the kids to clean the house it was usually only the kitchen that was messy. I then commented that was the sad part. The kids do well to keep their own rooms in order, but why do they struggle with the shared space, i.e., the kitchen?

What our rooms say about us can mean a lot. Our rooms are a haven for us to rest and relax. Some like order and some like mess.  We all have our different styles. But what happens to the kitchen when others of differentiating opinions come together? It’s less than ideal for more than one party; especially the mom on the couch not feeling well!  So, how do we deal with it? We should leave it better than what we found it before we entered. Our individual things do not belong in the shared space. It is an area for things that all will use. It is for the betterment of the group and not the individual. Our shared spaces should not emphasize one person over the other, unless you are making homemade chocolate chip cookies.  But, isn’t that for everyone?

Let’s look at the spared space of this Earth God created. We do not want to destroy things or hurt things needlessly. God gave us the trees to use for wood and the plants and animals for nourishment, but anything in excess is wasteful and not necessary.  As the saying goes, “leave only your footprints”. Now, what about the shared space of our lives at church?  Is your spiritual room in order? How do you leave your footprints at church? Are you feeding those in desperate need of God’s daily bread? Or, do you do the “things for God” for your acknowledgement and glory?

Self. It usually always comes down to self.  All we do in our shared spaces should be for the glory of God and not ourselves. We tend to make things about ourselves, unfortunately. So, what about the individual rooms where some are in order and others messy? Are you able to rest and relax in God in both your individual and spared spaces of life? What do you need to do today to be able to rest? Would putting things in order help you to relax, or do you need to let go of the order and allow God to mess it up a bit?

© 2013 Susan M. Sims

Image courtesy of Suriya Kankliang at freedigitalphotos.net

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