'A woman's house is her castle'. And you just don't bother a woman's castle. I'm speaking from a woman's point of view. Many of us have things we cherish, and want to keep. We put them away, and forget we have them. But, we still don't want to part with them. They are discovered by a husband, who means well, and is sparked into a cleaning mode. He says he's going to throw them away. If I protest, then, he says he'll find a time when I'm gone, and get rid of them. And, at times, he's done that very thing. You can call me a pack rat, but, I was brought up with the notion that everything is useful, as long as it's not worn out. Why throw it away? We weren't rich when I was at home, but, we were taught to take care of all our things. I have toys that I had when I was a child. I've kept toys that look like new that belonged to our children. Now, our grandchildren play with those same toys. I see no reason to get rid of those things.

He's 'moved' into the kitchen cabinets now, with the notion he's going to rid them of all the cups and other things that 'he feels' we don't need. Hey, this is 'my kitchen'...... and a woman doesn't like anyone coming into that part of the house and trying to take over.

Not all women are pack rats; not all men are clean freaks. It's when they clash that it kind of gets hairy. I move out of the way, and just keep a close eye on my husband, so that he doesn't really throw out anything of value, like the time he threw away a perfectly good and heavy ironing board. I had a sewing business at the time, and had ironing tables. He thought I didn't need the ironing board to iron on anymore!

In searching scripture that might pertain to such as this, I ran across 2 Corinthians 4:18. Sometimes we look on things here on earth as being of great importance. They are, in a way. But, these are things that will pass away. But, it's those things we can't see that should mean the most to us, and occupy our thoughts more than those things we have obtained. THINGS can be replaced, but, if we don't have our life lined up with the Word of God, tuned to 'heaven's radio', we are going to be left on the outside looking in, when the Lord returns. The clean freak can get rid of things we hold important here on earth, but can never touch those things God has placed in our hearts and mind. They are eternal!

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Copyright 2004 by Barbara Sanders, Empire, AL. Used by permission.
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