organization

Can You Eat Off Your Floor?

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
Man sitting on kitchen floor eating spilled spaghetti with sauce on his face and clothes
Image generated via AI.

One of my favorite stores is “The Container Store.” I like it because they sell things that contain other items and keep them in their place. I was raised to believe that everything has a place and that there is a place for everything. I love being organized. I think that is because I have a touch of OCD, but when the house is clean, I feel calm.

Funny thing, I have observed over time. If people walk into your home and don’t see clutter, they assume your house is clean, and if they see items strewn all over the place, they may think your home is dirty.

A clean, uncluttered house and a clean, uncluttered heart speak the same quiet language: peace, order, and room for God to dwell. One is physical, the other spiritual — but both reveal what we allow to accumulate and what we intentionally remove.

A tidy home feels lighter. When the counters are clear and the floors aren’t hidden under piles, you breathe easier. Clutter steals peace because it constantly whispers, “You still have work to do.” Jesus taught the same principle about the inner life: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Clutter — physical or spiritual — reveals what we’ve been treasuring, tolerating, or ignoring.

A house doesn’t stay clean by accident. Dust settles. Mail piles up. Life creates messes. The heart works the same way. If we don’t tend to it daily, spiritual clutter creeps in, such as resentment, worry, pride, and distraction. Scripture calls us to this rhythm: “Examine yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Just like wiping counters, self‑examination is a daily act of stewardship.

Every home has a drawer or closet we avoid. Our hearts have them too — the attitudes we hide, the habits we excuse, the wounds we bury. David prayed, “Search me, O God… and see if there is any wicked way in me” (Psalm 139:23–24). He invited God into the closets, not just the living room. A clean heart isn’t about perfection. It’s about honesty.

Sometimes a house needs more than a quick tidy. It needs a purge, a scrub, and a reset. Spiritually, this is repentance — not shame, but surrender. David cried, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). Deep cleaning is God’s specialty. He removes what we’ve grown used to and restores what we’ve lost.

A clean home feels welcoming. A clean heart becomes a place where God delights to dwell. Jesus said, “We will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). When the heart is uncluttered, God’s peace has room to settle.

People notice when a home is peaceful. They notice when a heart is peaceful, too. Jesus said,
“Let your light shine before others” (Matthew 5:16). A clean heart shines — not because it’s flawless, but because it’s free.

A clean house brings calm.
A clean heart brings Christ.

One requires effort.
The other requires surrender.
Both reveal what we value.

Copyright © 2026 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Here’s Your Sign

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

There is a practice one can have that makes life easier. And that is this:

Always Get Ready For Your Next Event

It is something that I preach to April constantly but, more importantly, demonstrate by living out. No matter how tired I am, each day or night, I look at my calendar or think about the next few days and ask myself, “Am I ready to go there, see them, or get that done?” If the answer is “No, “I do what I can to prepare.

This practice has helped me in so many ways because, let’s face it, life gets busy, goes by so fast, it seems, and things happen. Sometimes, I will think of something that needs to be done, and I do it instead of putting it off. Now I will confess, I’m lazy! But I have learned that being ready outweighs running around last minute in a panic. I would go so far and claim that this practice delivers peace.

Recently, I allowed April to practice being ready. She didn’t, and after receiving a service, she didn’t have the funds prepared to pay. The individual doesn’t take plastic money, so cash or a check is required. After making a point of her actions, I opened my wallet and pulled out a check. I paid for her.

So yesterday, as I was running errands, I saw the AT&T sign pictured here. I laughed and thought I should get one of these signs for April! But it was my next thought that brought seriousness back to my mind. Everyone needs this sign. Life keeps people so preoccupied, and the devil keeps things so stirred up that few ask the most important question of their life: “Am I ready to stand before God and give an account of how I have lived my life?”

One never knows when this life will end. So preparing now for where we will spend eternity is of the utmost importance! If you want to die and spend all the rest of your time in hell, then do nothing. But if you want to spend that time in heaven with God and your loved ones and have no more pain or suffering, then you must recognize that Jesus is God’s Son today. Then ask him to forgive you of your sins and to live in your heart. Jesus is faithful to forgive us no matter how terrible the things that we have done.

If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God. 1 John 1:9-10 (MSG)

As I paid for April’s mistake, Jesus’ death on the cross has paid for ours. If you do this, you are then ready. But then get to know this loving God and his Son. Talk to them (prayer) like you are having a normal conversation with a friend. Also, read God’s instruction manual for life, the Bible.

So if you see this sign, you can answer, “Yes!” And you will be ready for your next event.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.