I am an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of person. 

I “sweep everything under the rug”. I cannot sit down and enjoy watching tv when I see there is stuff everywhere. I cannot deep clean until all the clutter is gone. I do not want anything on my counters, floors or sinks so instead I have cabinets and drawers brimming full of junk. My quick fix is just to get it out of sight. Eventually, we are risking our lives just to open a cabinet. It brings me to the question, is my house really clean?

So last night I was up until almost 3am cleaning out every cabinet and drawer. I have 2 ½ trash bags full of junk. Everything is organized and beautiful. I can easily find what I need and now it’s obvious what does not belong. I came across things I forgot I had and was reminded of wonderful memories from keepsakes. I even found $200!

I have never been more excited to keep cleaning and see what other goodies I find. Now I can focus on actually deep cleaning. Dusting and scrubbing every little crack of mildew. The things that can actually cause us to get sick. I have also made a commitment to keep it clean because I do not want to go through this much trouble again.

I wonder if this is how I treat my spiritual life? Instead of confronting the issue and giving it to God, I just push it over to the side. I pretend it does not exist. My heart and mind can become so cluttered. It eventually starts to overflow. It can become dangerous. 

What would happen if we got the trash bag out in our lives? Yes, it is painful. Yes, it is a daily purging. However, the freedom and peace that comes with cleaning heart is so worth the temporary discomfort.

 Maybe you will find a sparkle in yourself that you had forgotten. I used to sing and play my guitar all the time. It brought me such joy. I wrote songs but when my spiritual life started to wreak havoc, I lost my desire to sing. My guitar became a dust trap.  I no longer wanted to serve others. As I started to focus on God and purge, that passion for music came back. I forgot how much I loved it and I wanted to serve again.

I believe the most important part of cleaning our spiritual life is it starts to become evident what does not belong. We can clean the junk as it happens. We do not have to scrub as hard to get it out because we noticed it sooner. Cleaning becomes less painful and time consuming. When our hearts are tidy, it’s easier to focus on serving others and love like we are called to do.

 If there is anything this last year has taught us, it’s time to clean house and focus on God because this world needs His love. Yes, it is hard work but let’s fill those trash bags.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” – Psalm 139: 23-14