Why Your Heart Needs a Good Spring Cleaning

Embarking on a Spring Cleaning for Your Heart tends to leave people at the ends of two extremes.

I don’t need that. My heart is fine.

OR

My heart is a mess. I don’t know where to start.

Either way, I will assure you: we all have work to do — and with God’s help we can do it.

I noticed something this morning. The truth was, I put it there, but it was easier to brush it aside than to deal with it at the time. There, under the dusty accomplishments and the wrung-out theology, I found a seed that had sprouted.

It wasn’t a beautiful flower, but a poisonous vine that would choke out all that was good around it. And there it was staring at me from inside, letting me know it had taken up residence much like the errant Cheerio crushed under the car seat.

Just because it didn’t belong does not mean it wasn’t thriving.

Our heart is busy. We love, serve, protect, wound, break, hide, and most of the time we don’t think about any of it. All of this living from our hearts leaves a few things overlooked, much like that Cheerio.

But there is a promise, an absolute truth that we can hold onto as we walk through this together:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

We are not doing this alone. We do not have to fear what is hidden deep inside because God is there, even in the long-forgotten, darkest, most hidden and neglected places.

The two things we can do to begin this process are to open our hearts honestly and to confess.

Confess the places we are wrong or sinful. Confess every cobweb of our heart to God. Allow His gentleness and love to bring light to those places. Let His breath of life in.

May we boldly throw open the curtain and open up the deepest parts of ourselves that we may live in deeper love and freedom with God and one another.

A quick prayer:

Heavenly Father, I invite you in, all the way in, to my heart. Open up the doors to let your light and hope into my soul.

You are good and I trust You to love me as we work together to bring Your light to every corner of my heart.

Thank you for being so gentle. In Jesus' name, Amen.