There’s been a lot of talk lately about disinfecting schools, subways, houses of worship, homes – everywhere – because of the Coronavirus. Cleaning supplies are flying off the shelves in supermarkets. Anyone who coughs or sneezes is scrutinized, and people have been told to stay home if they are sick or vulnerable. I must confess, I keep spray-disinfectant at the door to spray the kids’ book bags and jackets when they arrive home, head straight for the washing machine to put in their dirty street clothes and then march to the sink to wash their hands with good old soap and water for the length of time it takes to sing some 20-30 second chorus.

It sounds excessive, but why shouldn’t they feel safe and comfortably contagion-free in their own home? Our state has declared a state of emergency, their school activities are being canceled left and right, and at-risk people are being discouraged from leaving home if they don’t have to – it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to at least make them comfortable at home.

Home is where you take your armor off. It’s where you can be yourself without being judged. It’s the place where everyone loves you, even if you mess up. So, it’s that place you should feel the safest.

All this disinfecting got me thinking about other contaminants that may be lurking about waiting to invade some vulnerability. The problem with a virus is that you never know where the little buggers are – they are so small they fly below the radar and can attach themselves to you in the most arbitrary or seemingly innocuous ways. That realization made me wonder about what kinds of things I had allowed to slip in without noticing.

A quick inventory of how things were going, which rules were still being enforced, which behaviors had been allowed to slide made me realize that it wasn’t just my house that needed spring cleaning – my heart needed it too.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8