cleaning out the Frigidaire

I like a tidy house. I can endure clutter, but only if it's 'organized' clutter! I wish I had someone to come in and clean for me, though, because I find...as I get older...that I am beginning to experience some limitations, especially in the area of climbing up and down the little step-ladder for the chores that I cannot otherwise reach.

I even have a neat little rotating system for the refrigerator which keeps it full of good, fresh food...unless, of course, I forget to toss something that I should have!  I think we've all experienced opening that little butter bowl, that we knew was not-butter-but-couldn't-remember-what-it-was, only to find the makings of a terrific science project concerning the various stages of mold!

When I was younger, 'much younger than I am today,' I can recall that the older ladies all called this marvelous kitchen appliance their "Frigidaire."  And indeed it was...it produced near frigid air to keep food cold and fresh so that it would last longer.  The era of the SuperMarket had dawned, and we no longer needed to go to the store every single day to pick up fresh meat and vegetables for our families.  But, even if it could make the food last longer, you couldn't keep it in there forever.  Left-overs needed to appear in some other form a day or two later.  Food had to be rotated and restocked to receive the best performance from the appliance.  That part is still the same today.

And that got me to thinking...

I think our lives are a bit like that old Frigidaire sometimes.  We try and stock it with the best of the best...at least the best that we can afford at the time.  We plan menus around our stockpile, and delight in the variety.

For example, we pick and choose, very carefully, which people we will interact with, but then sometimes we don't prepare that relationship, as we would a good meal, carefully adding all the best ingredients.  And if we don't like the outcome of our effort...we blame the quality of the 'food.'  It must have sat, unattended, in the Frigidaire too long.  We need to do a thorough check of the contents often enough that nothing we have worked so hard to acquire will perish from disinterest.

Begin with your relationship with the Father.  Check it regularly for signs that it's getting stale, past it's due date.  Use up everything you still have, and go out and get more!  With family and friends, don't let things set so long that they can't be salvaged...throw out the soggy, yucky, moldy stuff, and start over! 

Just like that old Frigidaire that continues to be a marvel...things can still go bad when we don't check on them.  Today is the day...clean out the fridge of your heart and restock it with fresh things!  Fresh from the heart of God.