Preparing a Place for You

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”  

 John 14:1-3 

I think about this scripture a lot when I’m getting ready for visitors.

My kids all know, there is my “Daily idea of clean”, and then my “Guests type of clean”. 

I understand we all have different ideas on what a clean house looks like. Over the years I have heard varying opinions on my housekeeping skills. Some say, “Wow, you must be busy lately,” as they notice the laundry is piling, and I’m sure you could find dust without using a white glove. There is absolutely a cob web or two hiding in the corners, and some crumbs on the couch where Lydia likes to sit and eat. That’s pretty normal life at my house. 

I’ve had others say, not as often,”Wow, how do you keep your house so clean?” Those are most likely the infrequent guests that saw my scrubbed version of house cleaning. 

When my kids were younger they would ask, “Why do we clean more when we have special guests or visitors from out of town?” 

I pondered that for a bit… and then the scripture above came to mind. 

Why do we love that Jesus says he goes to prepare a place for us? 

To me it means we are special to him. That He welcomes us. Also, in that verse he speaks of coming back for us. That should comfort all who believe.

So that's why I do an extra bit of cleaning and prep for friends or family from out of town.

I want guests to know they are special and that we were looking forward to their visit.

I want them to feel welcome in our home. 

I will say once guests arrive, I don’t run around picking up after them. I want them to relax and for us all to enjoy our visit. 

So next time you are frantically straightening your home for guests, remember you are “Preparing a place for them”, just as Jesus is doing for us. 

Praying blessings over you and yours.