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Friday, January 21, 2011

Filth, filth, and more...hey, a floor!

Yesterday I embarked on an adventure few have ever experienced.  Yes, there were many obstacles, foes blocking the way, danger around every corner, and a looming feeling of inadequacy.  But, don't you fret, there was a happy end to the adventure.



We set out to go do some service cleaning someone's house.  When we arranged to do this, the individual expressed that it was extremely dirty.  Of course, my companion and I assured them that it would be nothin'.  We are lean mean cleaning machines!  Nothing could scare us away!  Or so we thought.  I have seen dirty, messy, untidy, unorganized, gross, and yuck.  But I have never experienced anything of this magnitude.  It was pure filth!  The outside of the home was cleaner than the inside.  Having come to California on my mission, this was not the kind of home I would have ever expected to find (shows my ignorance).  The inside was something one would find in a third-world country.  How could anyone live like this?
The individual had some hard times in the last few years, I won't delve too much into this for the sake of the individual, but some very large trials came their way.  The trials caused them to let things slide.  They just didn't care for a long time.  By the time they cared, things were already so far down the tube that it was just too much to take on. 
There are times when each of us experiences something similar.  Something hard comes and rather than face them and be done, we ignore them and try to move on.  But what experience will tell you is that this never works.  We can only run from our trials and our adversity for just so long until they come right back.  I have learned that it is much better to turn and face the beast then to wait and let it get bigger.  The best part is, there is always someone to help us.  For this individual, it was a few Sister missionaries.

The ones that are always there however, are our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.  They are always there to pick us up and help us out.  To help us take on whatever foe may be in our path.  Overcome any danger that may hinder our growth.  Give us the strength to overcome our own inadequacies.
After a lot of soap, scrubbing, disinfecting, picking up, dusting, and inhaling all sorts of fumes, we were able to see the beauty under the grime.  The house was actually incredibly nice underneath it all.  The home was a gem that was covered in filth.  Each of us may at times be covered in gunk and grime.  Facing trials and adversity.  Jesus Christ can help us overcome it all!  He already has.  All we need to do is ask Him for help.

4 comments:

Rin73 said...

I like your analogy! We can keep our houses, and our lives, in order by doing the little things each day. We can also make good spiritual progress by doing a little each day. There are a select few who can sit down and read the entire Book of Mormon in a single day. However, if we take it at a chapter a night, we can finish it in under a year. If we wait for an empty day, when we're feeling well, and there's nothing better to do than to read, we may never find time to read our scriptures. But if we spend time each day, even when we're busy, to read the scriptures, we will grow spiritually. Easy!

Sister Brook Kenemore said...

dirty houses....*shacks head* haha i've never cleaned so much in my life as i have on my mission! just the other day, we were getting ready for inspections and decided to move a lot of the furniture and clean...BAD idea if you dont like spiders! but we cleaned and it looked and smelled so much better! thank heavens for cleaning products and brave companions!

Brian said...

"The home was a gem that was covered in filth."

Sometimes, I feel like people feel this way. They know they are a gem, but with habbits and messes in their lives, they feel filthy. But the Atonment will wash them clean! Its an amazing blessing!

Hermana Martinez said...

I agree completly with Elder Manasco. I was there for the cleaning and thnak goodness for the cleaning products. But more than anything thank goodness for the atonemnet, that through this sacrafice of love the stain of sin can be removed.

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