those sneaky piles

My sister has recently shared pictures of her son with me, that show how he makes all these piles throughout the house with his toys. At first I just had to laugh because, what kid doesn’t just pile up all their toys and beaming with accomplishment show their parent? They have no idea what they are really doing, all they know is they made something!


The more I looked at the pictures, the more I thought about how I am a piler. You know, I think oh this is so important, and I'll get to it later.  Do you pile things? If you came to my house, you would see a neat and orderly home. It will be clean on any given day, because I am somewhat of a  neat freak and I enjoy order and also because I feel confident that this house I live in, though my name is on the deed, it belongs to the Lord. I want to be a good steward of this house and keep it inviting to whoever the Lord brings over. That said, after observing my nephews’ work, I began to look around my kitchen. I had several piles. Different things that were so “important” I couldn’t put away just yet, they needed attention and I guess I thought if I left them out, I’d take care of it.

This realization of course coincides with my study through 1 Corinthians. What a beautiful letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. I am continually refined by God’s word. Read with me:

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Cor 9:25-27, ESV

So as I mentioned before I am somewhat of a neat freak. I am somewhat of a disciplined person. But as I glanced around at my piles, and as I studied in God’s word, and in my bible study at church, I started seeing I was not as self-controlled as I thought.

Self control in this verse in the greek means: to exhibit self-government, conduct, one’s self temperately. See, for me, I enjoy a clean house. So it’s really easy to keep our home neat and tidy. I enjoy the health benefits of exercising so it’s easy to do.

So I began to ponder…am I really exercising self-control the way I should and in a way that honors God? Well…I looked around at my piles and I thought…no not really. I began to reflect in my own heart…if I am ‘naturally’ inclined to have a clean house because I enjoy it am I not just cleaning out of my own selfishness rather than out of a love for God and respect for what He has provided me with. Yeah…let me be blatantly honest…I did NOT like my own answer. It was out of selfishness. I want my home clean because I enjoy it. I can honestly say, it started out that I wanted to please God and honor Him, but over the years in the hurriedness of keeping up with three small children and a spouse, I’d lost the zeal to honor the Lord with the cleaning of my home, and just felt the need to keep it clean for my own sanity. Thus…the piles everywhere. Here a pile...there a pile...a little here, a little there. I’ll get to it. I’ll take care of the necessities.  In some cases I did, in some I didn’t.

So, when Paul says every athlete exercises self-control in all things, he wasn’t just saying the things that come easy to them. But he said ALL. As in everything. It’s tough, and it is something we as humans with unregenerate hearts can NOT do. Those of us with regenerate hearts, those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, can exercise self-control in all things. Not on our own. Not at all. But because “The fruit of the spirit is . . . self-control.” Galatians 5:23 So it is the Holy Spirit in us as believers in Christ that gives us the self-control we need to honor God in all things.

Now, I am not suggesting that piling is a sin. What I am suggesting is that my lack of self-control in this area is a sin….and the “easy” self-control with the wrong motives and attitudes does not honor the Lord.

I encourage you ladies, as God to show you, are you really willing to submit to the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in Jesus name. Acting on the fruits of the Spirit and following the prompting of the Spirit so that in everything God may be glorified?

Friends, pray with me, pray for me…that we  all would have surrendered hearts to passionately pursue God in His word, that we would be daily refined for His glory!!