First Baptist Church of Herndon

Cleaning the Pantry

Linda Soller | May 03, 2021

Don’t tell anyone, but I really love to clean my pantry. You’re thinking, why not clean the areas that other people see? Who cares about a pantry? Isn’t it supposed to be hiddenstorage?  I care about my pantry, and hidden storage doesn’t mean it has to be a mess. I don’t clean it for you to see and say – wow what a clean organized pantry. I clean it because it needs it, I can use it more efficiently, and it makes my life a bit easier. 

Have you ever heard the statement “The true character of a person is how they act when no one is looking”? Would you agree?  With so much social media people are now putting themselves out there just to be seen. The news is full of who wore what to the latest red carpet. Okay, I look too, but is what a person wears really important? Entertaining maybe, but important, questionable. They know they will be seen and dress for a reaction. It doesn’t always tell us about their character.

A co-worker had a near death experience with COVID-19. He found himself waiting on a cool, damp day outside the ER. His first trip to the ER. He was waiting for his ride. Thin from a huge loss of weight, he sat shivering in the damp air. A stranger came up to him and said, take my coat. The man said no I’ll be fine, but the stranger insisted, put the coat around him and left. No pictures were taken, no twitter posts, or Facebook praise, no media coverage at all. That man did what he did out of love and concern for another human being. That is character. That is also what the Bible tells us to do.

Except for going unnoticed, cleaning a pantry is not comparable to what the stranger did for my co-worker. But the next time you decide to do something that needs to be done and you know no one else will see, remember my pantry, and remember that stranger. Doing something because it needs to be done, because it will help, and because it will make a life better is a lot like cleaning the pantry.

Make a difference this week! :o)