O.C.D.

       

My clean (for now) white bathroom.

   I've just finished cleaning my newly-painted all-white bathroom. Anything white is a mixed blessing for someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There's nothing more gratifying than a freshly-cleaned sparkling white bathroom... at least for the thirty seconds after you finish cleaning it and before the first speck of dust falls or the first bug crawls across it! A crisp white shirt looks spectacular for almost any occasion, but aren't they just like magnets for one little drop of coffee or a healthy splash of spaghetti sauce? Fortunately, especially for Bill, my one tiny creative gene allows for a little bit of leeway. I usually hang pictures by sight rather than a measuring stick, but he will tell you, it didn't take him long to learn the "right" way to put the toilet paper in the dispenser!

      I thought this morning, though, as I wiped the last speck from the white sink, perhaps I should really consider a new obsession. What if I became "Obsessed with Christ's Delight"? I think it might make my Heavenly Father smile significantly more than my worry over dust or a spill. After all, His Word instructs us, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4 ESV) Now I don't think anyone would interpret this as a promise from God that He will give us whatever we want (such as a clean white shirt) if we simply delight in Him. As the commentary in Bible Study Tools so beautifully expresses it, "Men who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God.... Their will is subdued to God's will, and now they may have what they will. Our innermost desires are here meant, not our casual wishes;" The previous verse sheds some light: "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." (v. 3) And the following verses, also:

5. Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in Him, and He will act.

6. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

7. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, 

over the man who carries out evil devices!"

      Oh my, I'm afraid that seventh verse speaks to that other kind of O.C.D. I have, when I start applying my affliction to others around me, who "just can't seem to do it right" (i.e. my way)! Who knew cleaning a bathroom could result in so many bruised toes? Needless to say, God knew my soul needed cleaning as well. Interesting, too, that I learned this lesson on my knees. 

      The beautiful book of Psalms opens with these verses, which I'm going to try to take to heart as I work toward my new version of O.C.D.:
 

"How happy is the one who does not 

walk in the advice of the wicked

or stand in the pathway with sinners

or sit in the company of mockers!

Instead, his delight is in the Lord's instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams

that bears fruit in its season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers."

(Psalm 1:1-3 CSB)

 

 "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (John 3:30)

♱