Keeping it Clean

If you have followed MMM’s family escapades in recent months, you would know that we had a little water leak in our kitchen that snowballed into a partial home renovation. At the end of the process, we ended up with an almost new kitchen. New flooring, new appliances, and refinished cupboards. We like it, and like that it is done.

We ended up with not only a new kitchen., but a remarkably clean kitchen. As cupboards and drawers were refinished, they were cleaned out. I mean really cleaned out. Kitchen gadgets and gizmos aplenty were tossed out. I’m not even sure what some of them did. Every single glass, plate, pan and knife was looked at and its fate determined. Shelf liners, new hardware and a lot of scrubbing were involved. We ended up with a sparkling kitchen that had not been this clean since we moved into this new house fourteen years ago.

Now that the kitchen is super-clean, it is far easier to spot the messes. You want to hide dirt? Don’t even think about white cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. They show everything – every fingerprint, streak or drip. (Luckily, the new carpet hides dirt quite well.)

Even though it has been weeks since our remodel was completed, our kitchen is still spotless. The main reason is that it is really obvious when it isn’t spotless, so we jump right in and return it to its pristine condition. It has become the new standard for our kitchen. (I make no guarantees how long this will last, but hopefully we can maintain it for a while.)

The first point is this: It is far easier to maintain cleanliness than to restore it. When something accumulates grime over time, it is a bigger, less appealing task to resolve than it is to do an immediate quick clean up. Sometimes the task can grow to be so large that we just avoid it entirely. Nobody thinks twice about adding another cereal bowl to a sink full of dirty dishes.

Sure, it seems pretty obvious, but human nature can get in the way, and not only regarding cleanliness. One of the biggest challenges to accomplishing any task is the “I already blew it” mentality.

For example, let’s create a wildly hypothetical scenario: Imagine that there is a middle-aged man who could stand to lose a few pounds. He does a pretty good job all week watching what he eats, then Friday rolls around. Date night. A soda and some popcorn at the movies, and maybe a little candy make for a nice treat. Then he comes home and opens the freezer and sees a lovely pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream smiling at him, seductively.

He says to himself, “Well, I already blew it at the movies, I might as well have some ice cream and start fresh tomorrow. Or maybe Monday.”

Sound familiar?

Of course in the hypothetical, it would have been wiser for the man to just say, “You know, I had a nice treat tonight. I’m gonna leave it at that and ignore the ice cream.” However “wiser” is not always the driving force for me… I mean for the man.

Second point: The ‘I already blew it’ mentality can be damaging to the soul.

A mis-reading of James 2:10 can even reinforce this type of thinking. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” This can lead some people to think that since they already blew one part of the law, they have blown the whole thing – so why even bother? (For a better look at the concepts behind what James said, I refer you here.)

I’ve seen this mentality in myself and others regarding spiritual matters. It is easy – almost logical – to say something like this:

“Since I’m already late for church, I might as well just stay home.”

“Since we missed scriptures Wednesday morning, we’ll just start fresh on Monday.”

“Since I forgot and ate a cookie, I’ll just fast another time.”

“Since I looked at some bad websites and have to repent, I might as well look at a bunch more before I do.”

Then these thoughts can even lead to an escalation, such as the dieting example:

“Since I haven’t been paying my tithing, there is really no reason to worry about keeping the Word of Wisdom – I can’t get a temple recommend anyway.”

“Since I’m mad at the Relief Society President, I might as well just skip church.”

“Since I already blew it and had a few beers, I might as well just get hammered.”

…You get the idea. It is easy to use one problem to throw up our hands and surrender to more problems. “I already blew it…”

The trick in avoiding the “I already blew it” escalation is the same trick as in keeping a clean kitchen: Clean up the messes immediately – don’t let the dirty dishes pile up in the sink. Don’t throw up your hands and say, “I already blew it, so…”

Why? Because it is easier to maintain cleanliness the to restore cleanliness. If we clean up as we go, things don’t build up.

And how do we clean up as we go? We repent often (daily), and use the ordinance of the sacrament to make a weekly self-evaluation of our cleanliness.

“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day” (D&C 59:9).

If we do those two things, we won’t build up a mountain of spiritual grime that is so gross that we don’t think we can ever possibly dig out from under it.

If we do those two things, our mistakes won’t escalate to additional and/or more egregious sins.

Again: It is easier to keep it clean that to do a full-scale remodel. (It should be reinforced here that a full scale remodel is still always possible, thanks to the Savior’s atonement, but it will be more difficult.)

A few years ago I was messing around in the kitchen with a pitcher and ended up with this little video that I think helps demonstrate the point of this post. I call it “Living Water.”  Some o you might remember it. (Hint: Pay close attention to what happens near the end of the video. 2:20)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFupS2pqY0

Now, if you want to keep reading, for reinforcement, I would like to refer you to some of the heavy-hitters that I love:

“When we make wrong choices—as we inevitably will—we are soiled by sin and must be cleansed to proceed toward our eternal destiny. The Father’s plan provides the way to do this, the way to satisfy the eternal demands of justice: a Savior pays the price to redeem us from our sins. That Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God the Eternal Father, whose atoning sacrifice—whose suffering—pays the price for our sins if we will repent of them.” (Elder Dallin H. Oaks)

“Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are commanded to partake of the sacrament each week.” (Elder Dallin H. Oaks)

“But because of human weakness, we make mistakes even after baptism. The Lord has, therefore, provided a way for us to renew our baptismal covenants through partaking of the sacrament each week. When we partake of the sacred emblems reverently and worthily, we witness again that we will take the name of Christ upon us, that we do always remember Him, that we will keep His commandments.” (Elder L. Tom Perry)

“Windows must be washed regularly to clean away dust and dirt. If left to accumulate without regular cleaning, thickening grime can block out light and darken the window. Just as earthly windows need consistent, thorough cleaning, so do the windows of our spirituality.”

“Weekly sacrament meeting attendance helps us strengthen our resolve to keep our personal windows of heaven free from the obscuring haze of earthly distractions and temptations. By partaking of the sacrament worthily to renew our baptismal covenants, we clarify our view of life’s eternal purpose and divine priorities. The sacrament prayers invite personal introspection, repentance, and rededication as we pledge our willingness to remember our Savior, Jesus the Christ. This commitment to become like Christ, repeated weekly, defines the supreme aspiration of Latter-day Saint life.” (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin)