I love our hardwood floors. They’re beautiful.
But.
These aren’t the type of hardwood floors where all the pieces fit together in one solid flat surface. Instead, these fit together with about a 1/8” groove along each piece of hardwood.
I didn’t even notice the grooves until we were moving into the house and then I started wondering how in the world I would be able to keep these grooves clean. Well, fast-forward nine years and two kids later… these lovely grooves have been my nemesis.
At times, I’ve sat on the floor with a fork and knife or a screwdriver just trying to dig the mess out of these grooves.
At other times, I’ve just stared at the grooves and watched as a tiny dirty area keeps attracting more and more dirt and grows into several inches or feet of caked on goo in these multiple eighth-inch grooves… lacking the time, energy, and stamina to attack this area of our house that I walk on every single day.
But I’ve realized something over the last couple of months that has changed the way I look at and clean these floors. It’s water.
I spray water on a few feet at a time and let it sit for a couple of minutes. After the water soaks into these yucky places, I can use a soft cloth to get the gook out or for a really tough spot, I can use a soft toothbrush! It works WAY BETTER than the screwdriver, fork, and knife approach!
I would never have guessed that water and something soft would be the key to removing this build-up of dirt, crumbs, and spills that have resulted in sticky gum-like areas.
But while I’ve been kneeling on the floor successfully removing the junk from these grooves only being armed with a towel, a toothbrush, and my spray bottle filled with warm water, several thoughts have come to my mind.
Our floors are actually a very good example of my life because sometimes the areas of my life that should be so beautiful become NOT so beautiful.
Sometimes discouragement, bitterness, anger, jealousy, insecurity, or fear can become cemented into my heart, my mind, and my emotions and no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get rid of them – just like all that yucky stuff gets stuck in the grooves of our beautiful flooring.
So yes, I’m learning a few lessons from my floor. Here are 5:
1) It’s better to deal with an issue sooner rather than later. Waiting almost always makes it worse.
2) It’s overwhelming to face huge things all at once… it’s better to focus on a small area. Victory in small areas will add up to success in the large one.
3) Gentleness is effective. (For my floor and for my friends and family…. especially after my thoughts and theirs are bathed and soaked in God’s words and His perspective.)
4) If I want to see progress, I have to get on my knees. This goes for my spiritual walk as well as for cleaning my floors. Prayer, humility, and seeking God’s viewpoint will result in a breakthrough.
5) Water softens caked on goo… even if it’s been there for years! (YIKES!)
This last one is what has been on my mind the most. Water.
Ephesians 5:25b-27 says, “…Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
If I will let God’s word wash over me, the “goo” in my heart can be softened and washed away.
Bottom line: I’d say my time cleaning the floors lately has been time well spent. I’ve learned that God’s word, washing over me, has more power to release me from the grip of things that enslave me than I can imagine.
So the next time you feel like you are stuck and in a mess…. pour a little water on it!
Terra DeMerchant
www.wordblooms.com
The thing I love about stories is they are ever-changing and always teaching. This is my dear friend, Terra DeMerchant. She serves her calling faithfully with her husband, Lance, and has two beautiful children, Austin and Baylee. Terra is an obedient and joyful servant of God. She has listened, mentored, and taught me (and countless others) so much through friendship and discipleship. I hope the story of her beautiful (nemesis) floors encouraged you to “pour some water on it.”
-Sunnie
P.S. Before you leave, did you click on Terra’s website? If you didn’t, you really should. There are some surprises you DO NOT want to miss! Here it is one more time just in case you missed it! www.wordblooms.com
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