Spring cleaning your heart
Spring break has arrived! We are looking forward to a few days in the Smokies while school is out this week. But I have plans for some serious spring cleaning when we get home.
Often during this time of year, I find myself remembering it’s not just my home in need of freshening; my heart could do with a little cleaning out as well. Just as spring cleaning my home falls into three categories, spring cleaning my heart requires the same three actions.
First: Decluttering
Most of those quilts and blankets necessary for chilly winter nights are ready to be washed and placed in storage. Likewise, this is a good time to declutter my heart. Psalm 139:23-24 are the verses I usually go to when I realize it’s time for a good heart decluttering. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” When I invite the Holy Spirit to search my heart, He reveals all those areas where I’ve let hurt or envy pile up, and then He wipes those areas clean again.
Second: Deodorizing
I don’t think my house smells awful, but there’s something refreshing about the breeze blowing through the open windows. Last week we bought a few new candles, including one of my favorite spring and summer scents, magnolia. I love how the fragrance fills the whole house. As Christians, we remember Paul’s words, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). Just as God removes the clutter from my heart, He refreshes and renews my desire to share Him with others – to be the “aroma of Christ” to those around me.
Third: Decorating
This year I want to add some brighter colors to our living room. I look at pillows and picture frames, searching for the right touches to lighten up for spring. And while we don’t often think about our lives being decorated for Christ, the writer of Proverbs reminds us wisdom and understanding are “a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck” (Proverbs 1:9). We are a reflection of Him and His work in us, as we work and play and function in the world.
Perhaps you’re ready to do a little bit of spring cleaning around your house. Go ahead and hang that pretty wreath on your front door. Welcome spring in your home and your heart as well.
