It would be easy to let the idol of a clean house creep in. I love when my house is clean. But my family lives here and there are the inevitable piles of laundry dishes and papers that prove it. If I'm not careful I can easily forget the reason I want my house clean, which is not for my benefit, but for theirs. And I have to ask myself the question often, is that entirely true? 


After mopping and scrubbing down the living room, I told Rachel to come and 'ooh and ahh' over how clean it was. She jokingly walked through and 'oohed and ahhed'. I wanted her to notice all of my hard work. But the real joy came later when a couple of the girls were laying on the sofa, reading with their feet propped up. They weren't saying 'ooh and ahh', they were enjoying a clean and organized space.