My daughter and her husband flew cross-country to visit for a few days, and of course before they arrived my wife went into full-on cleaning mode. It was some intense combination of spring cleaning and “company coming” cleaning.
Her dedication to the task made me feel a bit guilty as I looked around my home office where there sits a box of papers from the recently filed taxes, some old computer parts, and other assorted junk. Then looking at my bookshelves, I noticed there was an accumulation of dust that was thick enough to support some sort of limited gardening. I decided to clean up the mess to be a good example to my daughter and her hubby. After a couple hours of cleaning and sneezing in a cloud of dust, I stood back to admire my work, and it felt oddly good to have the whole place clean and organized.
It’s good for our houses to get a thorough spring cleaning. But what about our spiritual houses? When was the last time you considered a spiritual spring cleaning? Do you suppose this is what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10)?
Here are five steps you can take for your own spiritual spring cleaning….
1) Toss out the junk.
There was a lot of junk in my office that needed to go into the garbage. Is there junk in your spiritual life that interferes with your relationship with God? Get rid of all the distractions and other junk that keeps you from God’s best in your life.
2) Make repairs.
Two old computer monitors anchored to the wall left holes when the brackets were removed that needed to be repaired and repainted. Are there relationships in your life that need repair?
3) Scrub the floors.
The tile floors had trapped every food snack ever eaten in my office. A lot of scrubbing was needed—especially in the grout—to get the floor looking new. Are there residues of dirt lurking in the crevices of your life that need to be scrubbed away? How about bad attitudes or habits, anger, fears, resentment of others? Pray that God will remove this dirt from your spiritual heart.
4) Polish.
The wood of my desk and shelves always looks better when it is freshly polished. Look for ways that God can use you to shine into someone else’s life. Perhaps a word of encouragement, or some random act of kindness. You never know how much a kind word or a simple act will brighten someone’s life.
5) Organize.
Once the junk is gone, repairs are made, and everything is clean and polished it’s time to get organized. Organize and prioritize the time in your life so you can live the life God has uniquely called and gifted you to live!
Join the Conversation!
As always questions and comments are welcome! Have you needed a spiritual house cleaning in your life?
Category: Personal Development | Character
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