Hoarders ~ Illness or Lazy?

So, who's watching Hoarders on A & E?

I know a woman who's friend was a hoarder, and when she passed away in her own bed, her husband didn't know she was dead--for 2 days! So bad was her home, that the paramedics couldn't use a gurney, but had to shimmy her out in a sheet.

Another man I know does plumbing repairs and has frequented the apartment of a woman who saves and stacks used Kleenex. She carefully piles the crumpled tissue into columns, and has created noxious walls.

These are not urban legends. These are real stories, of real people, who, for whatever reason can't make the trip to the trash can. But according to the show's psychologists, Hoarders are mentally ill.

But are they really?

I'm a skeptic.

Is this Trash or what?

Nowadays, every "habit" has an illness attached to it. Alcoholics and drug addicts have a disease, but when I was a child, they were drunks and addicts. People aren't just fat or skinny anymore, they have an eating disorder. Homeless are no longer bums. Gamblers aren't irresponsible. So, it goes to follow that if you can't keep your house in order, it's not your fault, you have an illness.

To be certain some of the people portrayed seem to be mentally challenged, especially one woman who wore diapers and couldn't get through her house in a wheelchair, so she piled the soiled ones in piles that ate through her flooring. This particular show resonated elder abuse, not hording.

By labeling irresponsibility, we take the blame away. It's not your fault. You can't help it. But in the case of hording trash, I just can't believe it's an illness.

There's no reference in the Bible to hoarding, but it does give us instructions on "clean." The NIV lists 170 references! Even though the saying "Cleanliness is next to Godlessness" isn't in the Bible, it's still relevant to God's instructions.

The Bible talks about clean animals (Genesis 7:2 NIRV), clean hands (Job 9:30 NIRV), clean teeth, (Song of Solomon 4:2 NIRV) and a clean house (Matthew 12:44 NIRV), to name just a few.

The hoarders are coveting garbage, in a sense, making their junk their idols, and the professionals are coming in to validate they're mentally ill, rather than being truthful: "You're lazy, both mentally and physically." There are illnesses that preclude self-care, but most of us can take out the trash.

These hoarders never learned to keep house. It seems generational. If they grew up in filth, then they're comfortable.

We must take care of what we have before we take on bigger challenges, and that starts with just looking around the living room.

What do you think? Illness or laziness?

"If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks." - Ecclesiastes 10:18

Our Kingdom Counts

Everyday God expects us to take care of his things, no matter how small or where they happen to reside in his Greater Kingdom. As women, it’s important for us to assess our own personal kingdoms instead of looking outward all of the time.

Everything inside of God’s Kingdom needs to be cared for in the same way that we exert our energies on charities, serving the church or the local soup kitchen. Our personal kingdoms count. What we do for our homes and families is more important than serving the greater good of mankind. God has made it abundantly clear how woman is to serve man and the Lord.

“The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18 (NIV)

He didn’t say we’re to serve mankind.

As modern women, it’s often hard for us to get our minds around God’s plans. Unfortunately, society tells us, and even our own churches, that our time only counts when we’re doing for someone else. That could be a paycheck or volunteering. As women what counts is what’s in our homes, and everything else comes after.

If the laundry is piled high, the dinner dishes are still soaking from last night, the kids want ‘me’ time and our husband is glued to the TV, we might be overlooking what’s right in front of us while looking to glorify some other part of the Kingdom.

In Matthew 27:55 (NIV), we read that “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.” What could the Lord’s needs be? In human form, perhaps they washed his clothing, fed him nutritious meals, made sure he had a clean bed to rest upon. It doesn’t say they were out doing his work, it says they were caring for him, just as God has asked us to care for our husbands, children and our homes.

Instead of groaning when it’s the day you clean house, try and realize that you’re cleaning God’s house. When the kid’s are getting rambunctious, remember they’re God’s kids, entrusted to you to nurture them. When you notice your husband is spending too much time in front of the T.V. or computer, find out why he’s not spending time with you. Are you meeting his needs so that he can meet yours?

If we are blessed with children, we not only feed and clothe them we spend quality time with them. If we’re married, we keep up our looks for the man we stood before God and promised to love and honor all our lives. Personal care is part of the Kingdom too! Drop those twenty pounds that keep you from feeling sexy in his arms. Add a little lipstick if it brightens your face. Let him know how much he matters to you, and tell him with the right attitude, and not because you want something from him.

As women we matter to God in our tiny kingdoms. We must learn to take care of ourselves and our earthly gifts before we take on bigger challenges, and that starts with just looking around the living room and maybe in a mirror.