The tiled wall above the bathtub wasn't exceptionally dirty, I was just in the mood to see things a little bit brighter. So, cleaner in one hand, scrub pad in the other, I set to work. I hadn't even rinsed off the first section before I encountered an unpleasant surprise. A tile at the bottom pushed in a bit more and the top part popped out away from the wall! Whoops! Quickly I pushed it back in position--I was hoping for a cleaner bathroom, not a home repair project!

More than anything I wanted to ignore that problem tile! If I pretended I hadn't noticed it, it would go away, right? I had all sorts of projects on my mental list of desired home improvements, and tilework wasn't even at the bottom! I started to continue to clean and then gave up! Who was I kidding? This problem wasn't going to go away. I might as well take a closer look. Perhaps it would be a simple case for glue and caulk.

The tile came off easily, exposing damp wallboard that was black with mildew. It wasn't looking good, so I called in reinforcements--my husband, Mike, who was at that time on the phone with his father, who's experienced with a wide variety of home repair projects. One tile after another peeled away with hardly any effort. The problem, we discovered, was that the proper "substrate" for the tile had not been used. Ordinary drywall just isn't suitable in a shower. The problem must have been ongoing for a long time! The more we checked surrounding tiles, the more tiles we found that were loose. As more tiles were pried away, more wet, smelly wall was exposed.

Family discussion

I didn't even want to think about the whole repair process! And yet, as much as I dreaded the long arduous job ahead of us, it provided much food for thought and discussion at our family's dinner table. That evening we considered how Christ compared the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside, He said, but "inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). Yuck! Sounded like the ugliness we were beginning to uncover in our bathroom.

My daughters were quick to notice that the problem had been revealed by cleaning. I complained and griped, recalling the old saying that "no good deed (like trying to make your bathroom cleaner!!) goes unpunished." But it wasn't long before my family was helping me remember that this is what God wants us to do in our individual lives!

I've always wondered if spring cleaning might have its origins in the Bible. God commanded His people to clean out their homes of leavening every spring before the Days of Unleavened Bread. My children have been involved in this deleavening process since they were tiny, and they could answer in an instant what leavening represents during that time! Christ and the apostle Paul told us that leavening pictures sin!

We considered how God wants us to do some housework in our lives especially before the Passover in the spring each year. We have to get up close, in the corners and check out what lies behind. When we do that cleaning, we just might find a problem area (or two or three!). There's no point in ignoring it. It only gets worse through neglect. Before dinner was over our discussion had led to the need for repentance and the forgiveness that comes from our Passover sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

The deeper lesson

As the days passed (this was not going to be a quick job--we had to fit it in around work and other obligations), it became clear that our project was much more than a "simple" home repair. Our tile project was becoming a lesson about dealing with sin. After getting off the old tile, we were finally able to get rid of that old, rotten, mildewy wallboard. It just wasn't the right material to tile over. We needed concrete backer board. We ate hurried dinners, eager to make some progress. Still there was time to consider how we must have the correct foundation on which to build in our lives--Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).

We also needed guidance and direction for our tile project--Mike's dad couldn't do the work for us over the phone, thousands of miles away. But he gave us help and encouragement. He told us we could do it when we felt overwhelmed. We felt more confident at dinner that evening and considered the blessing of being able to turn to our heavenly Father for help. We still have work to do, but through His Spirit He encourages and strengthens us and helps us to overcome.

Cleaning the tub

As we got deeper into the project, we turned to books for step-by-step directions for putting on the tile. We needed to know the best materials to use, the best way to start, how to get the tile straight and level. Heather and Erica thought this part, with the mud-like mastic adhesive, trowel and tiles, looked like the most fun. They couldn't really understand why we were nervous and apprehensive.

We read, we worked, we looked back at the books again. Finally, tired but pleased with the progress, we rested while we had a simple dinner. Those books and the instructions on the adhesive were certainly important, we agreed. As weary as we might have been, the analogy was obvious. The Bible is God's how-to book in overcoming. We can't do the job correctly without reading, studying and applying what we've learned.

Tiling, we discovered, was a long process with many steps. Time was required--first, to let the adhesive dry and then to let the grouting cure. Even the coat of sealer for the grout wasn't the final step. We still had to install the fixtures and do the final caulking. But finally it was done.

Our bathroom became the "family room," as the four of us gathered round to admire our work. The tiles were in their neat, orderly rows, all shiny, sparkling clean. Wow! I had to admit it was far cleaner than I had ever hoped when I started it all, scrub pad and cleaner in hand. And, even more importantly, we knew it wasn't like some whitewashed tomb. What was underneath was sound, strong and good. And on an even deeper level, we knew we had gained from the experience as well.