Day 23: CLEANSE
Summer vacation is almost here. Soon, I can tackle the long over-due tasks I’ve been putting off since…Christmas vacation!
#1 on my list: CLEAN UP.
Everything.
I have waaaaay too much stuff. Clutter is multiplying and bearing down on us from every side. It’s suffocating. (This photo is real…please don’t judge me!)
On Warm-Up Day 8, we talked a bit about “cleaning out our PURSE-onalities” and getting rid of all the purse trash we carry around.
We really do not want our lives full of trash and clutter and stuff.
We do want to clean up our acts.
So why is it so hard to let go?
No Place to Hide
At a women’s retreat last year, I spent prayerful time journaling in response to the question:
What “fig leaves” do I hide behind?
At the top of my list were “starting” and “joining.” New projects. New businesses. New groups. New causes.
Why do I love starting and joining?
Each time is a a chance at a “new me”! A whole new I.D.
Oh, how I’ve always longed for a fresh start! To be brand new and squeaky clean. So I’ve jumped at every chance for do-it-myself re-NEW-al.
Of course, D.I.Y. has never worked. God says, “I will make all things new!” He will renew me. I can not renew me. I. AM. NOT. GOD.
I was reminded of this when a student asked me, as I was opening a box from Amazon and delighting in my latest self-help book, “Mrs. G, why do you read so many of those kinds of books?”
Glibly, I quipped, “Well, I just have so much room for growth!”
But later, in moments of quiet reflection, I had to admit that even my beloved books are, far too often, “fig leaves” behind which I hide. And
- try to minimize my sin.
- try to be “good enough” by my own efforts.
- try to Do It Myself.
How much trash and clutter and stuff must I hide behind before I finally admit:
I. Can. Not. Do. It. Myself.
I can’t clean up my own act.
No Need to Hide
(Can’t see the image? Click here to download 1 John 1:9)
Yes, it’s scary asking God to take out our trash and stuff and clutter.
For the longest time, I was scared of emptiness.
Terrified that if I let Him do a thorough cleansing of my life, nothing would be left…nothing to hide behind.
I wrote this a few months ago as I was pondering the difference between “empty” and “spacious”:
I used to try to fill
that empty place inside.
With food.
With people.
With shopping.
With starting.
With busy-ness.
But I realize now that it’s not empty.
It’s spacious.
Ready and waiting to hold
whatever comes next.
Or content with
nothing more.
I used to think I was
empty
desperate to be
filled with
just the right thing
to make me complete.
But He brought me out
into a spacious place
and I’m discovering
how much easier
it is to breathe
when there’s
plenty of
space.
The more I’m learning to take refuge in Him, the less I “need” my other hiding places, my other fig leaves.
And the more I’m finding that trashed, stuffed, and cluttered pale in comparison to the clean and spacious life He is renewing in me!
Try this today:
As you’re journaling, prayerfully consider what “fig leaves” you hide behind, trying to cover up sin that only God can forgive and cleanse. You might look at your PURSE-onality “gift card” and consider your particular PURSE-onality weaknesses (which are generally strengths taken to the extreme.)
Leave a comment!
- responding to today’s blog, and/or
- sharing your Day #1-23 experience of replacing “baditude” with God’s word and gratitude, and/or
- about anything else on your heart!
A little behind ..soo busy with work….perfect example…I didnt bring God to wor with me these past few days …re-word ..he was there i left him out forgive me God get me back on track…thank you for loving me
Praying for spaciousness in my heart and home
Heidi J
I’m just thankful that Jesus will accept me as I am…dirty mess and all!
I would love to win her book. And when I think of 1John 1:9 I think of the old hymn we sing at my church….
I KNOW IT WAS THE BLOOD
I KNOW IT WAS THE BLOOD FOR ME,
ONE DAY WHEN I WAS LOST HE DIED UPON THE CROSS
I KNOW IT WAS THE BLOOD FOR ME….
It’s a miracle, how can Red blood wash my Black sin and turn me White as snow?
God is good!
I am thankful and grateful that God has put in my path this amazing learning experience. As I read everyday’s blogs I can believe that someone can be so open, real and honest. I really didn’t think that existed. I love that I am part of this journey and that everyday I learned from others and also a lot about myself. I want to become the women God created me to be. Thank you for inspiring me.
Wow! This one really hit home! Due to all of the clutter in my life I can’t seem to be content. I’ve tried for years to hide behind all of it. From self help books to just too much stuff. Thanks for the great post! I’m so thankful for your honesty with us!
This is amazing! Would totally help get my house I. Order!
I didn’t realize I was doing it, but I was using self-help religious books as substitutes for God’s word. Somehow, it seemed on the surface that I could learn more with those books than with God’s very Word. The books were never enough. While they were great at the time I read them, they were never able to sustain me the way Scripture can and does. Thanks for another great post today. Connie Y
Love this. Thanks for a great post!
In reading this post I sit here and reflect that I have tried to “hide” all the clutter in my life it is easier to give it to God and let go. It is a wonderful feeling that in knowing that I have someone whom I can trust in to listen to me whenever I need him. It has been a way for me to restore peacefulness in myself and in my home.
I think of myself as pretty organized, but lately….. I’ve started to let little things just keep on building. For instance – I have a huge table FULL of photos that I’ve got to get to, but I just haven’t had time….. scratch that….. I haven’t MADE time to sit down and do it! When school is out and I am off for the summer – I plan to de-clutter, many, many areas of my life and I fully intend on letting God lead me and not try and do it myself!
I too try to fill up the empty space instead of letting God do it.
I would love to win her book. I start organizing then fizzle! So thankful that I am thoroughly cleansed by Jesus!
Most definitely need this! I have gone from being a super-organized perfectionist to someone in need of a professional organizer. So much time wasted looking for things because of my lack of organization! Donna Marie
Would love to win her book. i am not very good at organizing. enjoying your posts. Thank you. Thre is always much to be learned
sounds like a fantastic book….