God often uses the physical to show me spiritual. My "old" friends will probably laugh when they hear me say, I feel the need to SIMPLIFY, clean out, declutter, reorganize.... as it seems like it has been at least a 5 year mission that I still have not finished, even though I keep working on it!
I keep going thru drawers and closets and rubbermaids. I keep donating stuff, I keep moving things around, recycling them, but I still feel like I haven't "gotten there" yet.
SO I've been thinking, and purging, and thinking some more about it ( literally over the years) and I think it is a metephor for what God is also doing in the spiritual. He's been cleaning out my junk, a little at a time, cause if it all happened at once it would be overwhelming( and would take forever) well not for God, but for me.
Some stuff I hang on to, for sentimental reasons.... and then I will go thru it the next year, and some of it doesn't mean so much anymore, and I get rid of a little more. Sometimes I see something I kept or hid away, and wonder, why in the world I even bought it, or ask myself, if I haven't used t in 5 years, do I really honestly need it. Lately, God has even been nudging me, reminding me that HE is my provider and that I don't have to hold on to everything, just in case I need it. Cause if I truly need it, He will provide it AGAIN!
So, where's this all going? I guess it has just been on my mind, and then I listened to Johnny's sermon in the van tonight and thought about how we change, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but we constantly have something changing in us, hopefully for the better. " Taking off the old and putting on the new." God uses everyday stuff ( everyday) in my life to show me where I need to repent, or humble myself, or where I am being stubborn, or disobedient, or even how much He loves me and how amazing He is( like the BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT RAINBOW ACROSS THE SKY THIS MORNING THAT WE WOULD HAVE MISSED IF WE DIDN'T GET TO CHURCH AND REALIZE WE FORGOT THE KEYS AND HAD TO TURN AROUND AND GO BACK HOME TO GET THEM!)....
SO anyway. I just urge you my friends, to maybe look back at all that God has already cleaned out ( and rejoice), or to step up and participate with God , in cleaning out some old "junk"-- physical, or emotional, or spiritual. Open up that garage or closet or junk drawer(locked away in your heart) and let Him start pulling stuff out. I didn't say it would be easy, probably not fun either.. but worth it.
Colossians 3:9-10 "since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
3 comments:
Gwen, I just stumbled on your blog thru Holly's, but I really like you post about cleaning and purging. I decided at the end of last year to make some changes, clean out things, donate things and to get rid of some of this baggage that I am carrying. Great post!
Dana
any friend of holly's is a friend of mine!!! thanks for reading! bless ya! ( i'm still TRYING to purge-- slowly- but surely!) g
Hi Gwen, I'm glad you found the flaxseed chocolate-chip cookie recipe on my blog and left a comment! Those are some *seriously good* cookies!! (whether one is breastfeeding or not) My kids and husband would always eat about as many as I did! If you make them, enjoy! And let me know how you like them!! By the way - I love the verses you have under each of the pictures of your children. AND, let me just confess that I looked over your blog because I'm just nosy that way :). But, I love it when I run across someone in the blogosphere who loves the Lord. :) Your post from 9/17/08 caught me where I am right now. The Lord is working on me - to be gentle. To be kind and tender-hearted toward my family - because so often, I'm *not*! The ladies in our care group at church are about to embark on a study of the book The Law of Kindness by Mary Beeke. I'm sure it will be convicting and challenging - and just what I need! Especially as I try to parent these sweet little blessings God has given me!
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