Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” While not in the Bible, it was a deeply held conviction among the women of my youth. They were strong and capable. Their skills extended beyond managing homes to running farms, restaurants, and other businesses. They kept this proverb close and were quick to bring it out whenever I grumbled about chores.
I don’t hear the phrase much anymore. It seems to have passed away with many of those women. Still, it sometimes springs to mind—like writing this post, which made me pause to ask where it came from. The internet says it goes back to Sir Francis Bacon in 1605: “Cleanness of body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God.” John Wesley later refined it in a 1971 sermon: “Slovenliness is no part of religion. Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness.” Although not canon, the idea had enough truth or catchiness to have permeated parts of Christian culture.
Messes
If cleanliness is next to godliness, are messes in the enemy’s territory? I’ve been thinking about messes a lot lately—specifically, how easily they spread. A mess has this uncanny ability to grow and spread seemingly on its own; it's really quite remarkable. My wife and I observe this phenomenon firsthand, living with our six kids.
You may wonder, what is the big deal about messes? If you’re alone, then it's probably not a problem. However, most of us don’t exist in isolation; we live and work in proximity to others, some of whom we care deeply about. Unfortunately, messes inevitably grow beyond their creator’s sphere and affect others.
Now, if a mess is identified and dealt with efficiently, it could be seen as a momentary inconvenience, hardly worth mentioning. But if it lingers or even worse, grows, irritations build, and relational damage begins to accrue. At this stage in my life, I’m trying to be extra mindful of the unintentional harm I cause others. One of my deep hopes and prayers is that I can bless others more than I harm them, and I’ve noticed that messes are a common point of contention in relationships.
What problems do messes create?
Creates relational stress and strife
Introduces confusion
Slows progress
Creates extra work
Communicates disrespect or indifference
Wastes resources
Erodes trust and care
Reduces quality standards
Introduces problems and errors
Reduces safety
Given how problematic messes are, it's worth asking why we make them in the first place. Are they simply the result of our fallen state? Some. We humans certainly can make a mess of our lives. Yet many of the messes I remember seem less about moral failure and more about limitations or lack. Here are a few examples.
Where do messes come from?
Lack of skill/training
Lack of direction/vision
Lack of discipline
Lack of awareness/carelessness
Lack of energy/laziness
Lack of time/hurriedness
Nature of the work/materials
External Factors
Overwhelm
Decision fatigue
Avoidance
Burnout/apathy
Anxiety/stress
Depression/discouragement
No defined ownership
Lack of systems/standards
Lack of accountability
Lack of tools/resources
You could add more reasons to the list, but it's enough to illustrate the point that messes are usually a symptom of an underlying problem. In the moment, those underlying problems are challenging to spot, especially when it feels like the perpetrator is being intentionally malicious, callous, or rude. I don’t even think my kids, who are expert-level mess makers, set out to create them; they do so in their play. With a little distance and grace, we can see it clearly for what it is: an unintended side effect.
So, where does this leave us? Should we pray for greater capacity for grace for the mess-makers? Yes. And we should take practical steps to help prevent messes in the first place. As a starting point, I suggest working back through the mess origin list from above. Take some time with each bullet point and brainstorm practical, measurable steps that could address the issue. At the end of the list, you would have the building blocks for drafting a comprehensive plan for your situation.
“If you want to go fast, work clean.”
My team at the Salvation Poem Project is currently going through this process. We are working on a game, Clayfire, that will launch in mid 2027, and since the fall, we have been pushing toward a vertical slice. At the beginning of the year, we turned the corner and are entering the production phase of development. The transition to production is always a good time to reevaluate your assumptions, approaches, and methodologies.
If you’ve worked with me, you know I try to keep projects tidy throughout development. Some of the aspects I’ve written about in the past include: the importance of naming, using a shared language within a team, and telling the truth in code. Despite my best efforts, our project still had areas that created pain points, led to rework, caused confusion, and required cleanup. In other words, messes.
In our case, many of them stemmed from not knowing the ideal way to structure things. This was the first level we built out to completion, and in the process, we tried different techniques and workflows, went through content and mechanic revisions, experimented, failed, and learned. It was your typical creative process, and, because it was game development, some changes had unintended consequences that broke systems, created additional work, and caused frustration.
So, before jumping into full production, we’re taking some time to reorganize our Unity scene structures to separate team concerns, preventing teams from slowing each other down or stepping on each other's work. All restructuring will receive approval from each team before proceeding. We’ve also taken some time to check in with each team member to identify pain points and provide an opportunity to air grievances. In addition, we’re verifying that everyone understands and is aligned on naming, file organization, and task-tracking procedures. Finally, we are removing any assets generated in the discovery phase that will not make it into the final game, a crucial and often-neglected step.
If you have any tips for preventing messes or a fun story about one of your kids’ messes, I would love to hear them. Stay clean, and God bless.
