I always like to start with something personal, so please bear it with me!
I am not a messy person at all and the same can be said about my house. I know many are capable of thriving in organized chaos, but I feel like clutter and mess give me brain fog. I’m deeply perturbed by dusty corners and cobwebs, and unwashed dishes and unclean kitchens always get my antennae up. But, I think some people’s brains are wired differently. The person in question here is my aunt (I’ll call her Tina for the sake of this story, though that’s not her real name).
Aunt Tina used to live in a messy house that often drove me to the edge of insanity. Whenever I used to go to her place, I was scared to step into some places of her house for fear of contaminating myself. I have smelled, seen, felt and heard things that I shouldn’t have (FYI: rats travel through ductwork very well people). I even sat on a dead rat (non intentionally).
And, don’t get me started on the “décor”; windows were always milky (signs that they haven’t been cleaned in a very long time); spiders had lowered themselves and had created a beautiful “design” to different corners of the living room and you couldn’t see walls, except over the stacks of magazines and newspapers. Sometimes, the doors wouldn’t open because of all the clothes and stack of boxes she’d left behind. I won’t even mention some of the things I came across with, all for the cause of helping.
The worst point was that she used to find the mess extremely comforting and cozy. The greasy kitchen counters, the sink full of dirty dishes, the cluttered work desk and all the unwashed clothes piled up at every corner of the house made my skin crawl, but as per her, these messes made her feel at home.
Fortunately, one evening I was at the church and the pastor was talking about this subject. I then convinced the latter to talk to my aunt about her messy house and the spiritual ramifications.
So, let’s see what the Bible has to say about a messy home and our responsibility toward cleaning.
Get Rid of Wicked Sprits
I like the satisfaction of seeing how good my house looks when it’s clean and neat. But, going back to my childhood days, I can tell you I didn’t share the same enthusiasm. However, back then I remember my mom saying how impure and wicked spirits reside in unclean and cluttered space (Matthew 12: 44- 45).
Today’s society has turned to this horrible idea that messiness is the “natural order of things.” I’ve even heard some believers saying that it’s ok to let the house get messy and not stress over it; it’s better to invest time in things like family and friends.
I get that not everyone is endowed with the time to be a neat freak. However, as we can read in 2 Corinthians 2: 11, “we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”
As followers of Christ, we should not be naïve about these things. Remember that in 1 Peter 5: 8, God tells us that, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Biblical scriptures capture satan’s character as shrewd and thus he will try to use any means to get to you. Even, if that means using your messy home.
This is why occasionally, I remind a few friends of mine, that if they don’t want to fall prey to satan’s traps, keep their homes neat and tidy.