Why Cleanliness Is ACTUALLY Next To Godliness
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Why Cleanliness Is ACTUALLY Next To Godliness
Hello classic crew and happy Wednesday! Welcome to another edition of my newsletter. I hope your week is off to a great start, and that you’re enjoying the second episode of The Classically Abby Podcast! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
We spent the weekend with Jacob’s parents and had a lovely time. One thing I’m so grateful for is that Jacob’s mother always makes sure I’m pampered when I come to visit. She takes me out to lunch and we go shopping together, we get pedicures, sometimes I even get a massage. As a mom, I don’t always find the time or make the time to relax. But my mother-in-law always makes me feel special. If you haven’t found a moment to do something for yourself in a while, see if you can find someone who can help give you even just an hour of “me-time.” I think you’ll find that it fills your cup and will make you an even better wife and mother when you return to your family.
Mr. Baby is thriving! We had his nine-month check up and he’s doing so well. He’s hitting all of his milestones and he’s tall - 85th percentile! He’s getting more and more mobile which makes content creation and homemaking more and more difficult - but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
After returning from my in-law’s home on Monday, the house was a mess. I looked around at all of the things I had to unpack and sort through, at the clothes and the diapers and the toys and the wipes, and felt a shiver of panic. I tend to get overwhelmed when I see a big mess in front of me, and if I simply buckle down and attack the problem, the worry goes away. But until I find a moment to take care of it, sitting with the untidiness makes me feel unsettled.
Which got me to thinking: Why is cleanliness next to godliness?
When your house is clean - hear me out - I think many of us are actually better people. And being a better person, makes you closer to God Himself.
I can hear the critics already. “Okay, okay, Abby. I understand that keeping your house clean is a good thing to do. And I can see how it shows that you’re grateful for the things you have. But how does being clean make you a better person? Seems like you’re going a little far, aren’t you?”
Well, first of all, when I say being clean makes you a better person, I don’t mean you are better than other people. I mean that you, yourself, will be a better person because you are functioning better. I don’t believe that you are a bad person because you are messy - far from it. I just mean, that you can be a better version of you when your space is clean. So, with that clear, here’s my theory.
There are a few reasons why when your house is messy, you are a worse version of yourself.
There’s something constantly hanging over your head. We all have never-ending to-do lists that we are constantly going through and editing, adding to, and crossing things off of. But when your house is consistently a mess, that’s one thing on your to-do list that you can never cross off. You know it’s there, waiting for you, but it never gets done. You look around your space, knowing that you need to tidy up, but you never do and that means your to-do list always has something on it. That’s stressful! And being constantly stressed makes people worse. It causes people to act out, have short tempers, or be less forgiving. I know that when my house is messy, there’s always something in the back of my mind, niggling at me. I can’t focus well and I can’t do other tasks because I know that there’s a mess that needs to be taken care of. That does not make me a better version of myself, let me tell you!
Your mind is cluttered. A cluttered house is a cluttered mind. We’ve all heard that phrase. But it’s true. When your space is covered in mess, it’s hard to hear yourself think. When you look away from whatever you’re focused on, you don’t get the mental quiet of a clear eyeline. Instead, you see more things you’ll have to do later. You see old papers and messy clothes and dirty dishes that have to be done, and you can’t just breathe. And when you can’t relax, you can’t access that calm you might need to gather yourself before dealing with a child or a spouse. You can’t be collected because there’s nowhere to collect your thoughts.
You don’t know where things live, so you have decision fatigue. When we don’t know where our things should be stored, or we have too many things in too small of a space, it can be exhausting. Why? Because we get decision fatigue. Every time we look at a cluttered table filled with objects that have no home, we have to decide where they will live. We have to figure out where each and every thing on that table needs to be put away so that we will know where to find it next time. Because this process can be so exhausting, it can lead us away from dealing with the mess at all. And when you are tired from having made so many choices, you don’t have the energy you need to be someone others can depend on.
When your house is clean, though, you have a clearer head, you have less stress, and you can be a better version of you. You can be more calm and collected, rather than an overwhelmed ball of nerves. And being calm and collected brings you closer to God because you are emulating Him. You can respond thoughtfully to situations rather than responding with kneejerk reactions. You can be kinder, sweeter, and more helpful to those around you. Having a clean home can encourage the best in your personality.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
I love this! A cleaner space leads to a cleaner mind, giving way for more focus. I gave this advice to my mom the other day! She was feeling overwhelmed at work because she had a long to-do list and her desk was messy. I suggested cleaning her desk first, focusing on one thing at a time, and she found it incredibly helpful. She got her space organized and cleaned up enough that she was able to focus on her to-do list. I also do this at home, whenever I need to study for something but can’t concentrate because of the mess around me. I take care of that first THEN hunker down to study. It works every time!
What is your home cleaning routine (daily and weekly)? I feel like there’s always so much to do and so little time, especially with a baby who’s napping less as he gets older