Spring Cleaning
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
—Psalm 51:12 (NIV)
It is springtime and that means time for spring cleaning in our house! I love to clean, decorate, and rearrange to make things feel fresh and new. We keep things fairly clean and organized at our home, but I love to clean the baseboards, sweep behind the furniture, and reorganize the cabinets. Many times that includes a few items given to friends, a trip to Goodwill, and maybe some extra trash! It is an effort and takes time, but the outcome is so refreshing and feels so good.
As I was working through this process recently, it made me think of my life with Jesus. I realized I needed to do a spring cleaning with Him.
Cleaning the Baseboards: Confession
Cleaning the baseboards equals confessing sins — some things I do because 'that's the way I am.' Some things I have let slide because my family still loves me and I have not had the urgency to repent. In my case, it usually comes down to the way I speak or respond. Then I listened to the Fruit of the Spirit song with my grandson and was hit smack in the face about how I did not align with patience and kindness as often as I wanted to believe I did. Spring cleaning exposes what we cannot see every day.
Sweeping Behind the Furniture: Obedience
Sweeping behind the furniture includes moving things around in my life that may feel uncomfortable, but it also means following Him in obedience. Recently I was invited to a retreat, and I resisted going. I knew God wanted me to go, but I kept putting it off and making excuses. Finally, I used my husband as my litmus test, full well knowing he would never want me to be gone for a night. As my final act of avoidance, I asked him his thoughts about me going. He thought it would be a great idea! Doggone it, now I had to go. You know what? God used that experience in so many ways — through new friendships, by making Himself so real to me, and by encouraging me. I did not want to move that furniture around, but it was worth it.
Reorganizing the Cabinets: Fresh Rhythms
Reorganizing the cabinets may mean I change up my Bible reading habits or do my own prayer walk. It is not that I get rid of what I have, but I may need to rearrange things to keep my relationship with Jesus fresh. I can so easily fool myself by checking a box that reads 'devotions' but not spending time actually listening to the One who is most important. For me this has included praying out loud as I walk through my house, listening to Psalms and Proverbs as I drive instead of music, and watching the Bible Project before I read through the next book of the Bible. These may seem like little changes, but moving things around has helped me engage with Jesus a little bit differently.
Just as spring cleaning makes a room feel brand new, some spring cleaning with Jesus can remind you of when you first met Him and how today is brand new with Him!