Has someone ever told you that you were a clean freak? Today’s message is for those who have worn this label; those who have felt the shame or guilt. It is my hope that when we are through, you will not only be able to release yourself from the pain of that label and love that part of yourself again.

A little background . . .

If you have followed my weekly messages you know that another death occurred. My daughter lost her dad back in January. To work through her grief, Danielle and I fell into a habit of what I call, “the morning grief call.” Each morning Danielle calls me to talk and work through whatever feelings she has so that can get on with the day. This morning our call netted an additional gift—a healing of an old conflict between us and that involved cleaning.

Danielle and I have many things in common, but on that we don’t have is our standards of cleanliness. Yet, since her father’s death, Danielle has found herself cleaning when the pain becomes too great to bear. We began discussing this change when Danielle asked, “Mom, why is it that I now clean when I used to hate it so much?”

Cleaning for Control

I answered her question with a 2-part question. “How does it feel when you are cleaning and when you are done?”

“Released and relieved, like I have control of my life again.” She replied. “And when I’m done, I have a sense of satisfaction. So cleaning gives me a positive feeling; it’s a feel-good bonus at the end. “ Continue reading →