Thursday, January 4, 2018
OK. I'm ready to disclose one of my New Year's resolutions: to clean out my closet.
Why did I pick this particular thing to put on my list? Because I thought I could get it done on January 1st and then be able to put a big check mark in my "done" box.
So, I was able to clean OUT my closet on the 1st -- you know -- take everything OUT of it. You just can't imagine all the stuff that I had crammed into that 5 foot by 6 foot space. But then my bedroom and parts of two other rooms were cluttered with clothes and shoes and exercise stuff and sheets and boxes of photos.
It took me two more days to go through everything to decide what could stay and what had to leave the premises. Now I need one more day to finish putting everything away. Whew! But I can officially check off that box because I have successfully cleaned the closet OUT.
Guess what I found in this process? A long lost Christmas present I had purchased months ago and had forgotten about. Which made me think about another room that might need attention -- my heart. Perhaps I need to clean it out, too.
Revelation 3:20 states that Jesus wants to come into our hearts and eat with us. I love the painting which is often associated with this Scripture where He is outside knocking on a big, old door. I can easily picture Him taking up residence inside. Except that there are areas in my life where I close off closets or spare rooms and don't allow anyone, not even the Lord, to go in or to see the junk inside. There is no-telling-what stashed away in those dark places -- things I don't want to uncover or revisit.
But the reality is that the Lord wants to clean out those closets in our hearts. He wants to throw away some junk that has been there for years that we haven't used or needed in a very long time. And He wants to help us rediscover some hidden treasures we may have forgotten about -- like that Christmas present. But we have to give Him access and get out of the way so that He can go to work.
Father, where are the hidden places in my heart that I have kept from you? Show me so that I can unlock the doors and give you access. Give me the courage to let you clean me out. I want to be rid of the unnecessary, no-good junk. Fill me -- every nook and cranny -- with your Spirit.
Guess what I found in this process? A long lost Christmas present I had purchased months ago and had forgotten about. Which made me think about another room that might need attention -- my heart. Perhaps I need to clean it out, too.
Revelation 3:20 states that Jesus wants to come into our hearts and eat with us. I love the painting which is often associated with this Scripture where He is outside knocking on a big, old door. I can easily picture Him taking up residence inside. Except that there are areas in my life where I close off closets or spare rooms and don't allow anyone, not even the Lord, to go in or to see the junk inside. There is no-telling-what stashed away in those dark places -- things I don't want to uncover or revisit.
But the reality is that the Lord wants to clean out those closets in our hearts. He wants to throw away some junk that has been there for years that we haven't used or needed in a very long time. And He wants to help us rediscover some hidden treasures we may have forgotten about -- like that Christmas present. But we have to give Him access and get out of the way so that He can go to work.
Father, where are the hidden places in my heart that I have kept from you? Show me so that I can unlock the doors and give you access. Give me the courage to let you clean me out. I want to be rid of the unnecessary, no-good junk. Fill me -- every nook and cranny -- with your Spirit.
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