My knuckles turned white, while my fingers cramped.
I hope she didn’t notice this grubby soap dish while she was washing her hands, I thought to myself. I looked at my soap dish as I continued to scrub at the residue embedded on the sides of my plastic soap dish. My soap dish, formerly unnoticeable to me, until a friend stopped by for a visit, had needed a good scrubbing for several weeks. I was not moved to scrub it until I saw it anew from her eyes. After several minutes I stepped back to survey the fruit of my labor.
Sparkling clean soap dish!
The transformation was amazing, and it gave me satisfaction to see my dish every time I washed my hands. I even made special trips into the bathroom to gaze and reflect on how wonderful it looked in comparison to how it used to look. As a matter of fact I enjoyed the transformation so much, I glanced around to see what else I could clean. THE SOCK DRAWER.
I tackled it with gusto!
I emptied the drawer and ruthlessly began to sort socks. Holey socks went to the rag bag, orphan socks shared the same fate. Any socks not worn in the past two years went to Goodwill. I must confess at the bottom of the drawer I found a baby sock from my first born son … he’s now 34.
I was on a roll.
From the sock drawer I turned my attention to my closet, then to my dresser and finally to the storage area above my closet. By the time I finished my cleaning my room, a revival was underway. Every room in the house has been affected. As my house changed, I began to notice something changing in my heart. Anxiety and chaos where being replaced by peace, satisfaction and clarity.
The lesson of the soap dish.
Because of the soap dish, my whole life was more under control. I established a few new routines. The Ohio Rule (Only Handle It Once) became my mantra and the 10 Minute Clean-up a daily cleaning routine.
One small change has led to big changes.
By changing a few little things, I actually have more free time. Time to serve others, to make meals for those in need, to play with my grand babies. My house is now “company ready” even on a Thursday night.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…” Luke 16:10.
One small thing led me to improve several bigger things. Doing what is right and good and best for something insignificant has caused me to do what is right and good and best for some things significant.
PS …
My husband has been affected by the cleaning bug. He recently remarked how messy his side of the kitchen table looked compared to the rest of the table. He decided to clean it up.
As you go through your day today, look for the little things God has placed within your reach. Who needs a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a home cooked meal. Little things can lead to big things.
Leave me a comment below about your experiences with little things. I’d love to hear from you!
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