Want to Clean My Room?

Today, my sister and I cleaned each others' rooms.  They were both in dire need of it, and we had been putting it off for far too long (weeks for me).  After a joke or two along the lines of "want to clean my room?" we decided that yes, we would actually like to clean the other's room.

We both started by doing the bare minimum: stashing clothes in drawers, flinging papers into piles in other drawers, pushing shoes into crammed closets, etc.  But, then we each saw little things that the other was doing that was a little bit better than what we had already done.

"You're folding my clothes?  Just stuff 'em in there, really!"

"You're vacuuming?!  Leave that out when you're done."

"Don't come in!"  Haha - it had turned into something more serious than we had intended.  It was over an hour later that we finally revealed our handiwork - Trading Spaces style.

"OoOOOoOoOo!!!  I can see my dresser!"

"You dusted?!"

"Look!  All of my DVD's are in one place!"

"You hid my printer - genius!"

I really enjoyed cleaning up my sister's crap.  Knowing that I was making her life less cluttered and more enjoyable made the task almost like a game.  I think maybe that's why sharing other types of loads with people we love can be so rewarding.  We didn't make the mess.  It's easier for us to deal with because the shame and guilt isn't tied to it - only the people we care about.  I've been reading Mark Waltz' book Lasting Impressions (a fantastic book written by a fantastic leader) and he talks a lot about being responsible to vs. being responsible for others.  This one point has been echoing in my head for days:

"When I'm responsible to people, I talk to God a lot on their behalf.  When I'm responsible for people, I talk to people a lot on God's behalf."

My sister wasn't responsible for my mess.  She didn't make it, and she certainly didn't like looking at it.  But, she stepped back and helped me fix it.  Thankfully, she does this in my life on many accounts.  I'm so thankful that she doesn't just clean my room, but she helps me clean up the messes I make in my life.  She's responsible to me, not for me.  And vice versa.  

Kerri, want to clean my car?