I am a person who exhibits OCD behavior on occasion (probably more than I want to!) when it comes to things being organized, clean and neat. Yes – I like me some straight lines, and for everything to be in it’s place! I grew up believing (and still do) that cleanliness is next to Godliness, because God does not want us to live with clutter and messes. However, life is messy and there is no way to get around that!
I can look at my office in my home and see how I let the clutter on my desk or around it pile up day after day. When I see clutter and mess – I get anxious and am stressed out. I live with a husband that grew up in a small house (when he was younger) with seven other brothers and sisters and even foreign-exchange students from time to time – so he is used to clutter, messes and living in tight spaces. The garage is his domain with all his new hobby toys involving woodworking. He has every tool and machine you can think of to make beautiful wood creations. But the garage is so cramped and cluttered that it is hard to park my car in it at times or even walk to the back door of the house. Ugh! I want to clean it out sooooooo bad and declutter all the mess!! Lord help me please be patient!
Over time we probably all tend to gather clutter. Getting rid of that clutter isn’t an easy task. To transform my office back to its clean and organized state, it was necessary to be ruthless and only keep things that were worth keeping. It would be the same with the garage, but Scott likes to take it slow when it comes to cleaning. There is a spiritual parallel to our lives, which can be cluttered with things we need to get rid of. Because of the clutter and noise in our lives we can easily lose sight of Jesus and His purity and be contaminated by the world and its attitudes.
Our minds need decluttering from the imprints of the world and the invasion of the enemy so we can think of the things that are true, excellent and praiseworthy. The Bible calls this transformation of the mind. In the same way, we need to deal with emotional clutter like guilt and shame, self-rejection, selfishness, fear, and people-pleasing.
God is not so much interested in what we do for Him as He is in the motives behind what we do. Have you ever thought that it’s possible to be controlled by hidden motives? By getting rid of clutter we find ourselves free to know God intimately and to serve Him with pure motives.
The worst clutter of all is that which builds up from a bitter root of un-forgiveness in our hearts. Judgmental attitudes thrive in bitterness and result in us forming sinful judgments about God and about other people. Clutter causes stress and gives space and comfort to unwanted things we don’t even know are there. There was clear evidence of dead spiders and small insects in my office when I was clearing out folders, boxes and papers from the floor. I do not even want to think of what is hiding in the cracks and crevices of the garage! My point being - in our lives, some of the clutter we hoard can give space for the enemy of our soul to establish strongholds, which rob us of the freedom Jesus died to secure. These can only be demolished by the power of the precious blood of Jesus.
On my desk, amidst all the clutter, I found an old card Hannah had made for me for one Mother’s Day when she was eight years old. What a sweet memory this found jewel brought to my mind and heart!
In the midst of the clutter in our lives something beautiful can be hidden, a part of us that God wants to redeem and restore for His glory. So, we need to be ruthless about getting rid of our clutter, because we are sons and daughters of a loving Father who longs for us to live day by day in the freedom and security of His intimate love for us.
So, ‘…let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without, let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God’ (2 Corinthians 7:1, The Message).
Prayer: Father God, I thank You that Jesus died, rose again and ascended into heaven. Thank You that in Him I am accepted by You. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will reveal to me the clutter in my life that needs to be cleared out to make space for the things that really matter. Please show me Your way, the way of holiness, and fuel my desire to walk that way in my daily living. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.