Time to Clean House

Last year, the Lord prompted us to clean our home. More specifically, to purge one third of our belongings.

Over the years, we have developed the habit of regularly donating or giving away items that were no longer needed, so we were a little taken aback by the amount we were so clearly instructed to get rid of.

We know that He always has a good plan for us and so, without knowing the reasons why, we dove in and spent the next month purging. We would gather items of a similar type together and I would sort through and purge at least one third of them. One third of my craft items, one third of the kitchen items, one third of clothing, etc. Who knew that we had so much stuff?!! Seriously, it didn’t look like we did!

I guess after twenty years of living in the same place, things tend to accumulate. We found long-forgotten or long-assumed lost items that were stuffed in the dark corners of high shelves and closets.

The whole experience was very freeing. Once we started and saw things going out the door, it propelled us to keep going. We were so thankful we did it by the time it was finished!

Since then, we have kept up the usual cycle of donating and giving away, but I have become so much more aware of items that are accumulating. Even now, as I sit here writing this post, I can see several areas that are due for another purge.

Over the last few weeks, we have been feeling a strong prompting that it is time to “clean house” again. This time, we have not heard that we should get rid of a certain amount – just that we need to do it. Honestly, we are all excited to do it again!

Not knowing the exact reason we are being called to clear out our things again, I assumed that it was for practical purposes and for us to not have attachment to “things”. I have long maintained that “a cluttered house reflects a cluttered mind.” Also, we are feeling like the Lord is getting ready to move us in a new direction and this is part of the preparation for that.

But the Lord is using this to show me something else. We can all agree that cleaning out our homes and getting rid of items that are no longer needed is important, but how much more important is cleaning out the things that are not useful or beneficial in our lives!

These are the questions that we need to ask ourselves:

What things are “cluttering” our lives? Things that are not necessarily wrong or bad, but no longer provide any usefulness in our life? Are they taking up space and crowding other things out?

What other things are hidden in the dark corners? Things we pushed aside because we were not ready to deal with them?

We have seen how rapidly the world around is changing. We know that there is much more to contend with ahead. If nothing else, the times have served its purpose in waking us up and shaking us out of our complacency.

We can no longer stay in the same place and ignore the accumulation of “things” that draw us away from our relationship with the Lord and the call He has on our lives.

We need to be free to run our race with endurance, my friends, and that means clearing out the things that would hinder us.

Brothers & sisters, the Lord is saying that it is time to start cleaning your house.

HEBREWS 12:1-2

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Reposted from a blog I wrote for our church’s blog group.
http://www.faithandvictory.com
https://www.facebook.com/AuburnChurchWa/