Doesn’t it feel good to clean out a messy basement or a closet in your house that seems to be the “catch all”? We’ve all done it. We have an item that we don’t want to throw away but we have no idea what to do with. It goes in the already full junk closet, junk drawer or makes its way to a full basement. At some point it just gets to be too much. You have to purge! You have to make a decision on what to keep and what to let go of. The reason is, you’re starting to have anxiety about just opening the door to these places. You know there’s no room but you keep packing it in. Finally, you get in there and clean out. What a lighter feeling. You have the epiphany that you really didn’t need all of this stuff anyway. Some of it is well past its prime anyway. Ahh! No more anxious thoughts of having to go there. It’s now an inviting area.
Like the overly used basements, our hearts can only handle so much. I’m not talking about our beating hearts. I’m talking about the real you. You can only hold on to so much. We like to store up special memories and always have room to take on each other’s concerns. This is great. But what about the “clutter”? Are there feelings of resentment spinning webs inside of you? Is unforgiveness taking up too much room? Is every crack and crevice filled with regrets and envy? The weight of these conditions will certainly cause you not to want to open that door. You’ll close yourself off from the good things God has for you. If there’s no room, where will the goodness be stored? “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10 NLT) Jesus to the rescue! Invite Him into your mess and He will certainly answer the call. He never in any way, shape or form designed you to be weighted down by the hardness of this world. He knew it would be too heavy to carry. You have to make a conscious decision, just like with the basement, to hang on or let go.
By hanging on to the “clutter”, you deny yourself the right to freedom. If Christ is your Lord, you are entitled to freedom. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free” (Luke 4:18 NLT) Jesus doesn’t want you in bondage to anything that’s going to control you. He wants you lighthearted and free. He wants to help purge you of the mess that’s holding you hostage. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT) If your heart literally determines the course of your life, you certainly want to rid it of all that’s pulling you down. You can’t move forward when you’re carrying such a heavy load. You’ve got to decide to let some of that stuff go. Life is too short to hang onto things that are ultimately going to bring you harm. Ask the Lord to give you grace to let the bitterness, strife, jealousy, etc. go. These things will take you nowhere good. They are not designed to take up space in your heart. These things will corrupt your whole being. You will be so hyper focused on the wrong things that you will completely miss out on what God is wanting to do for you and to give you.
“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.” (Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT) Let God’s Word help you replace the “junk” in your heart. It will be a beautiful exchange. You will sleep better. Your relationships will be better. You will physically feel better. There’s more benefits than you can imagine with a clean heart.
Today’s writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.
