Spring Cleaning

This weekend I drove down to Waco in a rented pickup truck filled with things we don’t need and want to get rid of. You see my daughter at Baylor was having a garage sale and I wanted to bring “just a few” items for her to sell as well. We both agreed that it felt good to get rid of all the junk we had accumulated over the years. It’s amazing how much unnecessary stuff we keep, from clothes to furniture and everything in between.

Just as it is a good idea to deliberately and regularly clean out the closets of our unwanted items, it’s also important for us to do a little clean out with some of our unwanted habits. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians talked about a little personal closet clean out and getting rid of a few things in our lives as Christians. He said, “But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language (Colossians 3:8).” He also says, “You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

Any thoughts on old habits you may want to clean out of your life? I know I am slightly convicted as I read Paul’s admonishment. But the good news is we don’t have to clean out the closet of our hearts alone. God has given us His Spirit to help us not only recognize some of the things that need to go, but to help us and strengthen us in replacing the old junk with beautiful qualities like kindness, humility and patience.

Time for a little closet clean out of our hearts don’t you think? Consider doing some Spring Cleaning this week asking God to help you get rid of useless unwanted habits and bring in some fresh new lovely ones.

Family Fun: Together as a family, clean out a junk drawer or closet in your home. Trust me, it can be fun when you do it as a family. Use one box for giveaway items and a bag for trash. Rearrange and straighten the place, so it is once again useful and nice. As you sigh and look at your accomplishment talk, about how the Bible says we need to get rid of certain bad habits in our life. Read Colossians 3:8 and talk it. Pray together as a family asking God to help you recognize old junk that needs to go. Ask Him to renew your heart and help you to reflect His love in the home.