Avoidance

Is there anything in your life you are avoiding? Any task, any obstacle, any phone call or chore or improvement? I often find that if something is daunting I just avoid it. Like my laundry room. Contrary to most mothers, I don't avoid DOING the laundry. I just avoid cleaning the laundry room. Maybe it has something to do with how small and crowded it is. Maybe it is because it has heavy, large appliances that aren't exactly easy to move around and clean under or behind. Maybe it is because it doubles as the pet room- the one they sleep, eat, and "use the box" in. Which makes it even more important to clean it regularly. But for me, it always just seems out of reach. I never want to take the time to clean it up, so I barrel through there, trying not to look at the fluff of fur that flits across the floor as I woosh past, pretending not to notice the dried drip of animal food on the sides of the dog bowl, completely avoiding the layer of dust forming atop and behind the washer and dryer. And don't even mention the fingerprint smudges around the doorknobs, those are pretty much omnipresent in our home.

Well, unfortunately it is all too easy to just avoid the tough things. Pain from past mistakes or hurts that haunts us, eating away at our happiness or our fullness of life. Chores that sit unfinished, unstarted even, that grow in size as they remain ignored. Phone calls that grow more necessary and will require more apolgies the longer they remain undialed. Wounds that grow deeper and break us apart more completely the longer they are left untreated. Sure, ignoring it now helps numb some of the pain, helps us forget some of the work that lies ahead- if only briefly. But the thing about avoidance is that the problem only grows as it is left untended. The dust gets thicker, the wound gets deeper, the stain gets tougher, and the pile grows taller. And eventually, if you want things to improve, you have to just jump in. You have to just push against the washer until it moves across the floor, get down on your knees, and start sweeping, vacuuming, and scrubbing out those dark places. You have to pour peroxide into the wound, cleaning out the debris and crust and caked on dirt before the hole will start to heal. And it's tough, you sweat, you bleed, you cry... but it is only then that true progress can be made- true healing can begin. It is only then that you can truly start to move beyond the initial problem, and towards the joy of completion.

Today I cleaned out my laundry room, and boy did it feel good. I can walk in there now and smell the fresh scent of Murphy's Oil Soap, feel smooth, clean floors beneath my feet, and run my hands over a dust-free, clean set of laundry appliances. And God spoke to my heart as I cleaned, and convicted me to stop avoiding the things that I don't like. He prompted me to truly start to examine my life for areas I've been dodging, and He challenged me to consciously start tackling the things that may hurt... for only then can I truly heal, grow, and smell the fresh aroma of progress.