I’m starting to become a pretty good housekeeper, if I do say so myself.  And by the way, that is saying something!  I’ve never been known for my generous and extensive work around the house.

Becoming a proficient home engineer has kind of snuck up on me.  You see, we’ve had company at our home rather frequently of late, and most of that company has had to do with me.  As a result, my wife Lily has put a little pressure on me to be a nearly equal participant in getting ready to host our guests.

I’ve been in charge of the downstairs (I’m not sure if she doesn’t trust me to clean the upstairs yet, but that’s just fine with me!).  There is no shame in being a downstairs cleaning aficionado, as I like to call myself. Well, it’s actually the first time I’ve called myself that.

Tidying up the downstairs has its benefits.  It’s where the TV is, so as I clean, I can watch the game on the tube (I mean, flat screen).  You really don’t have to miss anything.  The vacuum cleaner is a little loud, but that’s what we have the volume control on the remote for.

And when you vacuum frequently, it doesn’t take long to know the high traffic areas you have to focus on and those areas you don’t really have to go over (because no one is going to notice that it didn’t get a fresh zoom over from our 15 year old Kenmore canister model).

Speaking of vacuums, I’ve been telling Lily that we needed a Dyson vacuum cleaner since they first came out (that Dyson guy really seems to know what he’s talking about). I had no real reason for wanting one, because I never used the machine.  But now that I’m in charge of the downstairs environmental aesthetics (at least when company’s coming), it’s time I put a little more pressure on.

The other night we had company, and as usual, I was at my station ready to do my part.  Actually, I was watching TV on the couch, and thinking about the exercising I should be doing.  The instructions were sent to me over the loud speaker from upstairs (that’d be Lily speaking loudly to me).

She wanted me to clean first and exercise later.  She has this thing about be prepared in advance for company and not just putting the vacuum away when the door bell rings. I obliged and got my duties done and then hopped on the treadmill to begin my aerobics.

Funny thing, while I was on the treadmill, I’m sure I saw Lily look in the bathroom, and around the basement.  There’s no way she was checking to see if I had done my cleaning to some standard or something.  Then I saw her with a damp cloth rubbing it over surfaces and objects in the room.  I’m not sure what that’s for, but I’m glad its not part of being a downstairs cleaning machine.

Here’s the thing:  There’s more to a role than just a title.  If we say we belong to Christ, the proof is in what we do.  If I have trusted my life to God then my actions will be the evidence that I am following Him.  It’s a good reminder for me to keep checking my actions and not rest on my titles.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question:  How are your actions measuring up to your title?  You can leave a comment below.