Spring Cleaning: Your Cluttered Closets

It's April. It's spring.

It's the perfect time

for spring cleaning!

Over this past weekend, I found it quite enjoyable to serve at my church in cleaning it. No, I'm not what you would call a janitor or a maid, but rather a person who likes serve, to complete projects, and who doesn't like helping to make things bright, cheery, and ...organized? The third floor of our church houses several rooms for many different purposes. One room in particular has been used to store holiday decor and etc. items for our event center and other fellowship events. However, this room, with a separate closet has lived in clutter for some time. A friend and I had volunteered to sort through the closet and find homes for all the Christmas decor that managed to not find a home, but instead, was camping under the sleeping bags and under chairs and tables. Add all of that in with some random junk, and you've got a lot of issues.

Well, the same goes for our mind. We accumulate so much junk in our minds that it's hard to unwind, to breathe, to let go of anxiety. I am the guiltiest party in this scenario, so I know that I'm pretty much writing this blog entry for myself. However, I know somewhere out there, someone may need these words too. =)

The thoughts that like to enter in and clutter my path to clear, concise thinking are ones that tend to worry me at the wrong times, things that the enemy whispers in, knowing that I will trip over the miscategorized boxes of nonsensical and unjustifiable thoughts. He loves to laugh at me--he thinks it's hilarious when I walk past a beloved friend at random and don't even see him or her because my thoughts are so deep and disorganized. He especially loves it when I become overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings that I don't even know where to sort them out.

But the joke's on him.

I have the tools to get through the froufrou, the will to let go of unwanted items, and the determination to make it through. 

When I feel perplexed, I start thinking about what God wants for me. I KNOW what the Word says about what God wants for my life. He wants me to be joyful, to fulfill a purpose, to feel loved and cherished, to be useful, and best of all, to be free.

Simple enough. So if you are struggling with a cluttered mind, disorganized thoughts that don't belong, just release it. Walk away from the untidy spare bedroom. Count to 10 and breathe. Tell God what you are feeling and ask Him to help you overcome. This is the best way to overcome being overwhelmed. I always have to remove myself from any situation, walk away, and breathe. I gain new perspective elsewhere and I stop thinking. I write in my journal to take inventory of my thoughts, that way, I cannot be caught up in the surprise web of those boxes and boxes of thoughts that simply do not belong. 

Matthew 19:26 says, But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Believe and have faith that you are well, mindfully set, and overall, a-okay. The enemy wants to make you feel like you are worthless and cannot rise above the worst of your anxieties. He wants you disabled and when you release all this to your Daddy, He says it's nothing at all and tosses it away, if you let Him. John 16:13 says, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

 

And, if all else fails, Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

So with that, I leave you my friends and wish you a happy, clutter-free day!

Emmy