Cleanliness is Next to Godliness?
Early Morning on The Rhonda Lou Ridge
The twittering of birds before the sun arises is a gift. They let me know it is the human in my frail ways to keep me lingering over a second cup of coffee, while they busily get about their business without
complaint.
To have studied about the Muslims, Jews and Christians in Spain, when I was a girl is to remember how we read about the lovely hand work in the buildings that was a testament to the blending of those cultures. Art was, alas, overshadowed by their warring with each other, and I, became disinterested.
then.
This early hour brought a television show of Andalusia, Spains history with such a vivid explanation of that time period, and it was rather like a garment that has been plain and unfinished in the closet for years suddenly to be taken out, cleaned and embellished with beautiful decorations. There are 30 pictures here of Andalusia, Spain. Be sure to scroll down to them:
Evidently the wars were interrupted by the arrival of the black plague, which made a great impression on the minds of Christians thus the phrase, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." By the way this not found in the Christian scriptures; however, here are some scriptures to talk about cleanliness:
James 1: 27 The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.
So it is, with this, Im determined to tackle THE SHED!
Solomon 4:11 talks about the cleanliness of the Shulamite girl.
With comb honey your lips keep dripping, O [my] bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Leb´a·non.
Im telling you, there is no such fragrance with that shed. Some of the fabric stored there is of the synthetic blends that with the heat of summer makes the odor is quite a bit less than fragrant. So it is, Im pulling all that out-out-out.
Isaiah 35: 8 And there will certainly come to be a highway there, even a way; and the Way of Holiness it will be called. The unclean one will not pass over it. And it will be for the one walking on the way, and no foolish ones will wander about [on it].
So here I go, with a new determination and will to dispose, sort, give away, garage sale, all that is in
THE SHED! For indeed, the foolishness of leaving that stuff stacked in total uselessness is not only foolish, but just plain stupid on my part.
By the way, the word holy in the old English derivative is "whole." Another definition is "clean."