May I share something personal?
{Clean sinks.}
My heart is bursting with praise and gratefulness. Tears... yes over... clean sinks~
I have these (once beautiful) cream-colored porcelain sinks. They are so hard to keep
clean.... to get clean. Hard use has scratched the surfaces and there are even some chips
around some of the edges. But they are very deep and practical for large bowls and pans
for large family meal preparation. I still appreciate them, though they aren't as pretty.
__________Do you ever get really discouraged about small things? To me, it's
discouraging to spend time on something that doesn't seem to bear much fruit. Can you
relate to that? Most of the time I don't let it bother me. I appreciate a clean house but I am
learning not to stress over imperfections. Even so, when things seem to be piling up, the
silliest and smallest of things can seem to be magnified.
We were preparing to travel to my daughter's graduation in Phoenix. I had not been very
motivated to get the usual pre-trip cleaning done. (We all enjoy returning home to a
clean and orderly nest.) The family had been working on getting our music together
to share at the senior center, there is writing to do and so much to learn about blogging
and it's time to tie up the home school year.
Daily maintenance along with extras and the unexpected had left me feeling a little
overwhelmed. I had been looking at those sinks all week thinking how desperately
they needed a good scrubbing. I had been bleaching them for a very long time,
but it just didn't seem to be doing the trick. So why bother? Because, it's my job and
I want them to look nice for my family.
____________________Upon deciding to tackle the job, I collected
the bleach, a rubber glove and a rag. The job takes 5 to 10 minutes. As usual, the
results were less than desirable. Seeing some black scratch marks, I decided to apply
some Bar Keeper's Friend. (If you have never used this slightly abrasive powder
with bleaching agents, you really should try it. It works great on stains and can be used
to polish coins, clean stove tops, pots, pans and all sorts of surfaces. It works great on
soot-blackened dishes and all sorts of items that you may want to salvage from a fire.
(Our home burned in 2005.) It can even be used very gently on fine china.)
As I applied the cleanser along with some elbow grease..well.. what do you know?
Off came the scratches and stains! I was so excited! The sinks were almost completely
restored to their original color! Bright and clean!
_______________________ Now, I don't get really into cleaning
like some do. Shining and polishing the refrigerator and stove. I work at clean, but
wiping every fingerprint off the microwave and cabinet doors is not what I do after the
kitchen is finished up. But I had been disappointed in these sinks since they had been
installed so I was very encouraged and pleased. The reason that it came as such a
surprise is that I had tried Bar Keepers Friend before and it didn't clean it as I had
expected. In combination with the bleach, however, it worked marvelously!
It was a small victory but as I have grown in the Lord He has enabled me to
appreciate the minor details of life . The reality is that life is made of more small
victories than big ones. In my life, it reflects the ONE who is
helping me on the journey of contentment and gratefulness.
Beyond the sink.. There isn't a tremendously deep spiritual truth behind this little
story; it was a nugget for me to treasure. Sometimes I forget that I serve a God who
is so connected to the hearts and souls of His children. It is His delight to reach
into our days. He helps bring circumstances into perspective and touches even
the smallest of things that matter to us though they may seem insignificant to
others.
Remember, through the ins and outs, and ups and downs of your day, that He has each
strand of hair numbered and you can reach out and grasp His hand at
any given moment. If something matters to you, He has already considered it.
Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you
have done, and your thoughts which are toward us. They can't be declared
back to you. If I would declare and speak of them, they are
more than can be numbered.
Psalm 40:5
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