Spring Cleaning Your Heart

Yay! It’s finally Spring! For my friends down South, there have already been multiple days over 80°, so you've had spring for a while.  And for my New England folks with yet another Nor’easter on the way…sorry.  Just sorry.  But anyway, in the spirit of spring, I’ve been slowly working on spring cleaning my apartment over the past week or so and finally finished last night (Praise the Lord for small apartments!)  I like spring cleaning, because it gives me the motivation to clean and organize my possessions.  Afterwards, everything looks so nice, and I always end up with a few things that I forgot I owned!  I’m actually fairly decent about cleaning on a regular basis, so thankfully it wasn’t too terribly difficult this year, but I definitely kick my cleaning regimen up a notch for spring cleaning from the normal cleaning process.

And as I’ve been going through this process, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that my heart could use some spring cleaning, which led me to contemplate how the two are similar.  Here’s what I came up with:

1. Right now, my love for God and my desire to do His will is hidden behind all the fear and selfishness and pride that builds up and clutters my brain and my heart.  So obviously I need to get rid of those things in order to better focus on God.  But just like I hesitate to throw away literally years old makeup (Yuck!) because I might want to use it*, I prepare to get rid of the sin pervading my life then hesitate at the last moment before getting rid of it for good.  Instead of rejecting it completely, I hold on to a piece of that sin because it’s comfortable and familiar and because I don’t really, fully trust that God is better.
2. Like my apartment will soon begin to get dirty again and I will have to get out the cleaning supplies once again, I also will not stop fighting with my sin until I see Jesus face to face.  But, the hope is that now that I have taken the time to deep clean my apartment/my heart, the next time I have to clean it will be quicker and easier.  It will be more maintenance than full-blown deep cleaning.  Instead of having to actively fight the urge to complain at work every shift, I will just need the occasional scriptural reminder to place my trust and my need for approval in God, rather than in my coworkers.  But I can’t get to that point without actively identifying and opposing the temptations in my life.

All that is great, but what does spring cleaning my heart really mean or practically look like?  I have a dear friend who runs Sweet Selah Ministries, and she has has taught me quite a bit about choosing to pause and rest in God.  Please note that this looks a little different for everyone, and the way I "spring clean" my heart will be different than how someone else does it.  The important part is pausing to connect with God in the way that works best for you.  Anyway, in opposition to the hustle and bustle of spring cleaning my apartment, spring cleaning my heart looks a lot more like setting aside an afternoon to read my Bible, journal, listen to some Christian music, work on a Bible study, pray, and listen to God’s voice.  It's choosing to examine those lies I’ve been believing (like the one where my sin is somehow more desirable than God).  Mostly it’s just being intentional and honest about where my heart/mind/soul are at, where I want them to be, and praying for God’s help in getting there.

Spring cleaning my heart has been just as, or even more important than spring cleaning my apartment.  Like so many things in life, it’s not necessarily easy, but it is certainly worthwhile.  Do you think it may be time for some spring cleaning in your heart, as well?

*As a point of interest, I did finally throw out that makeup