Clean Out the Pen

One of the worst chores I know is cleaning up animal pens. No one likes dirty, stinky places. The last time I went down to the pigeon loft it smelled so terrible I hurried away as fast as I could! But you know the rule: if you have pets, you have to take care of them. That pen will have to be cleaned out. Today. No more putting it off until tomorrow.

I shouldn’t ask, but do you want to come and help? If you’re brave enough to tackle the work, we can get it done twice as fast. Then we’ll be rewarded with a fresh and clean pen. That is what I’m looking forward to. Won’t we feel glad when all the dirty bedding and dried manure is scraped away and the fresh straw is spread out? I think so.

If you don’t have a pigeon loft, there might be a litter box or fish tank to clean out. You probably don’t like cleaning out cages any more than I do, but aren’t you glad when it is done? God wants to clean out messed-up lives and help us get rid of “dirty bedding” in our hearts. When you want your own way and quarrel with your brother or sister, don’t you think that your attitude is “smelling” bad? Just think of it like the litter box. What if you said, “I don’t mind the smell. I don’t want to clean it out!” How terrible that would be! God loves what is clean and good. He hates sin and wrong-doing as much as you hate a dirty diaper. He wants us to love to make things right (just like cleaning out a pen) and live with His peace and blessing.