I love cleaning. Maybe it’s because I am so easily distracted, but I am far more engaged in a clutter-free environment that sparkles and shines. For me, cleanliness creates confidence.
I didn’t recognize my love for cleaning until I had my own home; before that I felt like it was a tedious requirement that I always failed at. When my husband built our home, I found that anything misplaced or dirty stood out like a sore thumb because everything was so new, but it also had a place to go so I could easily clean it up–especially since I was a stay-at-home mom then. Sustaining the beauty of my home became a rewarding challenge.
Now I work outside the home and my kids are older with busy social lives. With all the traffic and little downtime, it’s not as easy to maintain the laundry, dishes and paperwork. I’m sure you know what I mean. When life gets chaotic, we need to take some time to bring back the order so that we don’t become completely stressed over the little things–like finding sox.
Our soul is like our home. We cannot really shine with confidence or beauty unless we have a thorough cleaning. The reflection we see in our mirror, no matter how perfect, will always feel like a mess in our soul until we experience forgiveness.
- We need to forgive ourselves for the mistakes we have made.
- We need to forgive others who have wounded our hearts.
Unfortunately, most of us wait until there is so much to forgive (or clean up) that we don’t even know where to start–so we just keep going through life, making more messes.
I believe that the secret to lasting confidence and beauty is allowing God to do the major cleaning. When we take a moment to stop and accept the forgiveness that Jesus offers us, we are empowered to forgive all the little offenses that come daily. Try it. I bet you will find that sustaining the beauty of your soul is actually a rewarding challenge once everything is fresh and clean.
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Catrina Welch is an inspirational author and speaker who is using her 30 years in the beauty industry to help women understand their personal Image Identity (Img.ID) and overcome Image Issues that affect their Confidence. Her message is empowering women to BE and LET BE. You can now find her latest book, CONFIDENT BEAUTY: Reflecting the One Who Made You, with the Images in your Mirror and in your Soul in your favorite bookstores. Autographed copies of all her books are available on her website at www.CatrinaWelch.com
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