All That Stuff...

I don’t know what was wrong with me…but I recently had some spare time on my hands and found myself cleaning.  Anyone who knows me knows that I typically am an on-the-go kind of gal, so for me to spend this extended time at home AND then to use that time cleaning, well…that’s a big deal.

Now I’m not talking the kind of cleaning where I scrub and dust. No – I’m talking about going through drawer after drawer, closet after closet – and throwing out “stuff” that has accumulated over the years.

Don’t get me wrong – I am a very practical person who likes practical things.  But…even those practical things can accumulate and that puts them in the category of “stuff.”

There were board games that had been crammed in one cabinet, dishes and kitchen appliances that had accumulated over the years in the pantry, and wrapping paper, bows, and gift bags that were intended to be used and re-used (but had been shoved in a wardrobe and forgotten).  I found pictures that made my heart smile as well as pictures that stirred emotions that I had forgotten were there and brought tears to my eyes.

While some of the “stuff” I re-arranged and made more accessible and organized, most of the rest was bagged up and boxed up and shipped out.  So many bags!  So many boxes! So much STUFF!

Another word for my precious stuff should really be given its true name…JUNK.  Ugh. That’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow, isn’t it?  None of us like to be accused of having junk or stuff we don’t need.  But if we keep the junk around, it just bugs us and bogs us down.  You can’t find what you’re looking for, it gets in the way, and it even can trip us up (literally!).

So as I’m cleaning out so much junk from my home, it caused me to take some inventory of the “junk” I often hold onto in my heart.  I am justified in being so angry when I’m wronged, right?  Jealousy isn’t that big of a deal, is it? I have every right to cling to that hurt that was inflicted on me, don’t I?

I do have every right to experience these emotions…and there are times when it is vital that I process these emotions…but if I continue to let this “junk” hang out in my heart, it’s going to get in the way and truly can trip up my life.  It robs me of blessings.

It seems that God and I have almost daily discussions about cleaning out the “junk” in my heart.  I’m finally learning that when I get rid of the “junk,” it allows me to make room for things like love, joy, and peace, which are much better for me – as well as for those around me. When I fill my heart with these, I've noticed that I've got plenty of room -- and I even find that sometimes my heart just overflows!  And that's how it's supposed to be.  😊

Scripture to Ponder:  Psalm 51:10, Matthew 5:8, Matthew 6:21, Proverbs 4:23