We have been studying about Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. Today we discover another aspect of the lives of people of the kingdom. Let’s look at the one of the verses of the parable, and then we will do some thinking.
And when it comes, it finds the place swept and in order (Luke 11:24 AMP).
A couple of years ago, I read an article in The New York Times that caught my attention. The article asked, “Are Americans too Obsessed with Cleanliness?”
Compared with the rest of the world, Americans take personal hygiene and general disinfection to another level. From our appreciation of white teeth and the daily shower, to our manicured lawns and store aisles full of bleach products, most of us cherish our unsoiled, unstained existence.
“Southern Living” magazine believes we are too obsessed, and found significant evidence.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation immunologist Dr. Eliza Chakravarty told The Oklahoman that an increase in “germophobic parenting” and sterilized environments may keep children’s immune systems from developing properly.
Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but author David Goetz thinks our desire for cleanliness has a different root. “The deity of control commands that we scrub away the chaos and filth that skulk in the shadows of our highly managed, perfection-driven lives.”
So as we think about the parable for this lesson, here is a five question quiz for you about cleaning. The last word of each question contains a link with the correct answer. If you want to know the answers, click the last word and a window will pop up. The answers for the first four questions are either a) every one or two weeks; or b) every one or two months.
- How often should you wash the sheets on your bed?
- How often should you clean your mattress?
- How often should you replace the sponge in your kitchen?
- How often should you clean the parts of your coffee machine (change the filters if you use a Keurig)?
- Susan Hibbard obtained a patent for the first feather duster in 1881. What type of feathers did she use?
How did you do? Is cleanliness next to godliness for you, or next to impossible?