The past few months I found myself digging deep into my closets to try to get ready for a garage sale. Let me tell you, it was quite the process! I think I found enough sweaters to have an ugly sweater party for the next ten years :) I spent hours of time cleaning only to earn about $30 come garage sale time. While the monetary profit may not have been significant, the feeling of having a clean closet now is amazing :) You see, now I have room for some new things that I will use more often.
Often as we go about our normal, busy routines and accumulate different possessions, we fail to remember what we even have stashed away in those closets. Sometimes, we know there is so much inside that we shouldn’t keep, but we are too lazy to make the effort to sort through things. Well, I hate to say it but sometimes the journey of life is the same way. Just like we find different kinds of things stored away in our closets in the home, we will find things in our “closets” of life that need to be sorted through. We need to sort through some things in our lives and either organize them so that they are in line with what God wants them to be or else get rid of them (declutter) in order to make room for some new things that God wants to be there. When cleaning my closet at home, I found three different types of items inside that resemble the types of things that I have in my “closets” of life that I need to ask the Lord to help me to sort through.
Often as we go about our normal, busy routines and accumulate different possessions, we fail to remember what we even have stashed away in those closets. Sometimes, we know there is so much inside that we shouldn’t keep, but we are too lazy to make the effort to sort through things. Well, I hate to say it but sometimes the journey of life is the same way. Just like we find different kinds of things stored away in our closets in the home, we will find things in our “closets” of life that need to be sorted through. We need to sort through some things in our lives and either organize them so that they are in line with what God wants them to be or else get rid of them (declutter) in order to make room for some new things that God wants to be there. When cleaning my closet at home, I found three different types of items inside that resemble the types of things that I have in my “closets” of life that I need to ask the Lord to help me to sort through.
1. First, I found unexpected surprises that I didn’t even know I had cluttering my closet.
Goodness! I found things in my closet that I wore as a freshman in high school, and I’ve been out of high school for almost ten years! There were things I found that I was surprised I even had. As I said earlier, I found some pretty hideous things that I didn’t know even existed anymore that could have supplied me with my ugly sweaters for the next ten years of my life.
The question is….Do we have any things in our spiritual or personal lives that we don’t even realize are cluttering our closets? Occasionally we all need to take a step back and evaluate our lives. In fact, rather than just occasionally we should ask the Lord to help us evaluate our lives daily. I know that I haven’t been doing this like I should all the time, but I want to strive to always pray the following verses:
Psalm 139:23-24
“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.”
Sometimes we can’t see the things in our lives that are causing the clutter so we need to ask God to show us. Perhaps it’s a bad habit that we don’t even realize we have or a wrong thought or attitude. Whatever it is, we need to ask the Lord to search us and show us!
2. Second, I found some things that I knew were inside but kept hanging onto.
Do any of you have some of those things from your childhood that you know you have in your closet and you really should get rid of them, but you just keep hanging onto them? Maybe it’s an old stuffed animal, a special project you did years ago in school, a picture of your kindergarten crush, or your old disgusting teeth in your tooth fairy box. I’m guessing I’m not the only one that still has some of those things…. :) Why do we have some of those things??? Most often it’s simply because we are too stubborn to let them go.
The problem is that many of us have things like that in our spiritual or personal lives that we know are of no use to the quality of our lives, but we simply refuse to let them go. To help illustrate what I mean, let me give a personal example. For me something I sometimes struggle to let go of is worry about the future. Worry is definitely not something I need in my life, and most certainly it’s not something I want in my life, so why do I still sometimes have it there? The answer that God wants me to see is that I still have it there because of my own stubbornness and, yes, even perhaps a lack of trust. Worry can be an unnecessary thing in our lives that sometimes we don’t even realize is there, yet it is causing clutter. Rather than serve a purpose, it simply prevents us from enjoying other things in life and taking the new steps that God wants us to. It is something that God wants us to declutter.
You know what? God’s Word has a sure answer for the clutter of worry. Philippians 4:6-8 has the perfect recipe when it says:
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Rather than worry, I can pray to God about my needs and dwell on positive things, and He will bring peace to my heart. The truth is that whenever I try God’s recipe, it works!
Do you have anything in your own life that is cluttering your life that you know is there but you are simply stubborn to remove it? Perhaps it is jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, impatience, a bad habit, or some other type of sin. Whatever it is, God’s Word has the perfect recipe for decluttering it from your life!
3. Third, I found some things that are extremely valuable treasures that I just can’t or shouldn’t ever part with.
Do you have any of those letters from your childhood best friend, souvenirs from a very special trip you took, photo albums or scrapbooks from all your special memories growing up? I know I do and many of them, such as the photo albums, are things I just can’t ever see myself parting with.
Just like those material treasures that we have, we have some treasures in our personal and spiritual lives that we shouldn’t ever let ourselves part with because they are so precious. Below are just a few examples of treasures we may have that we should NOT part with.
- The wisdom and values that come from the Lord
Proverbs 3:1-3 “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”
- God’s Word as our guide
Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
- The lifeline of prayer
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
- Special Christian friendships and other special relationships that encourage us in the Lord
Ecclesiastes 4:10 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
- A cheerful spirit
Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
These are just a few things that we should not forsake in our lives, but God reveals perhaps the greatest thing He wanted to share with us in Matthew 6:19-21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
God wants us to focus our hearts on the things on earth that will “lay up treasures in heaven.”
We need to ponder the question: What do we have in our lives that we should either declutter or cling to with all our heart? Let's take time to ask God today!
Photo Credit:
http://www.alreadypretty.com/2011/03/purging-your-closet-is-easy.html
Goodness! I found things in my closet that I wore as a freshman in high school, and I’ve been out of high school for almost ten years! There were things I found that I was surprised I even had. As I said earlier, I found some pretty hideous things that I didn’t know even existed anymore that could have supplied me with my ugly sweaters for the next ten years of my life.
The question is….Do we have any things in our spiritual or personal lives that we don’t even realize are cluttering our closets? Occasionally we all need to take a step back and evaluate our lives. In fact, rather than just occasionally we should ask the Lord to help us evaluate our lives daily. I know that I haven’t been doing this like I should all the time, but I want to strive to always pray the following verses:
Psalm 139:23-24
“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.”
Sometimes we can’t see the things in our lives that are causing the clutter so we need to ask God to show us. Perhaps it’s a bad habit that we don’t even realize we have or a wrong thought or attitude. Whatever it is, we need to ask the Lord to search us and show us!
2. Second, I found some things that I knew were inside but kept hanging onto.
Do any of you have some of those things from your childhood that you know you have in your closet and you really should get rid of them, but you just keep hanging onto them? Maybe it’s an old stuffed animal, a special project you did years ago in school, a picture of your kindergarten crush, or your old disgusting teeth in your tooth fairy box. I’m guessing I’m not the only one that still has some of those things…. :) Why do we have some of those things??? Most often it’s simply because we are too stubborn to let them go.
The problem is that many of us have things like that in our spiritual or personal lives that we know are of no use to the quality of our lives, but we simply refuse to let them go. To help illustrate what I mean, let me give a personal example. For me something I sometimes struggle to let go of is worry about the future. Worry is definitely not something I need in my life, and most certainly it’s not something I want in my life, so why do I still sometimes have it there? The answer that God wants me to see is that I still have it there because of my own stubbornness and, yes, even perhaps a lack of trust. Worry can be an unnecessary thing in our lives that sometimes we don’t even realize is there, yet it is causing clutter. Rather than serve a purpose, it simply prevents us from enjoying other things in life and taking the new steps that God wants us to. It is something that God wants us to declutter.
You know what? God’s Word has a sure answer for the clutter of worry. Philippians 4:6-8 has the perfect recipe when it says:
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Rather than worry, I can pray to God about my needs and dwell on positive things, and He will bring peace to my heart. The truth is that whenever I try God’s recipe, it works!
Do you have anything in your own life that is cluttering your life that you know is there but you are simply stubborn to remove it? Perhaps it is jealousy, unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, impatience, a bad habit, or some other type of sin. Whatever it is, God’s Word has the perfect recipe for decluttering it from your life!
3. Third, I found some things that are extremely valuable treasures that I just can’t or shouldn’t ever part with.
Do you have any of those letters from your childhood best friend, souvenirs from a very special trip you took, photo albums or scrapbooks from all your special memories growing up? I know I do and many of them, such as the photo albums, are things I just can’t ever see myself parting with.
Just like those material treasures that we have, we have some treasures in our personal and spiritual lives that we shouldn’t ever let ourselves part with because they are so precious. Below are just a few examples of treasures we may have that we should NOT part with.
- The wisdom and values that come from the Lord
Proverbs 3:1-3 “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”
- God’s Word as our guide
Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
- The lifeline of prayer
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
- Special Christian friendships and other special relationships that encourage us in the Lord
Ecclesiastes 4:10 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
- A cheerful spirit
Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
These are just a few things that we should not forsake in our lives, but God reveals perhaps the greatest thing He wanted to share with us in Matthew 6:19-21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
God wants us to focus our hearts on the things on earth that will “lay up treasures in heaven.”
We need to ponder the question: What do we have in our lives that we should either declutter or cling to with all our heart? Let's take time to ask God today!
Photo Credit:
http://www.alreadypretty.com/2011/03/purging-your-closet-is-easy.html