Spring Cleaning...

So, I was recently looking at a short devotion from 'Our Daily Bread' (yes folks, I definitely picked one up and tossed it in my purse!).....needless to say, one of the 'messages' that I came across intrigued me. The devotion held the title 'clearing out the clutter' and as I read through the words, I found myself thinking more and more about the baggage that each of us carries on a daily basis and how we need to let it go....

Here's what I read in 'Our Daily Bread' (yes, that rhymed ;)

"My garage serves as storage for things that don't have a place in our home, and, frankly, there are times when I am ashamed to open the door. I don't want anyone to see the clutter. So, periodically, I set aside a workday to clean it up.

Our hearts and minds are a lot like that - they accumulate lots of clutter. As we rub shoulders with the world, inevitably, perhaps unknowingly, we pick up ungodly thoughts and attitudes. Thinking that life is all about "me." Demanding our rights. Reacting bitterly toward those who have hurt us. Before long, our hearts and minds are no longer clean and orderly. And while we think we can hide the mess, eventually it will show...."

So, I'm moving. I have spent at least one day a week for the past couple months packing up my belongings and then, once a week, having them taken to storage. And it's funny (and I think that my roommates might agree), but it's actually nice to live in an apartment with less clutter. I mean the place looks empty....the walls in my room are now bare, as is the wall in the family room....but the clutter is disappearing and I feel my breaths easing with every box that leaves the house.

And it seems wierd, but I feel (and maybe even know) that this is how my life is going to be the next few months. I feel God prying at my heart with some things, and just encouraging me to let go of others....and it's hard to let go, but at the same time FREEING because I realize the relaxation that comes from looking at the bare walls all around me. I don't feel that God can work within the clutter (I mean, who can?), but that open and presumably empty heart....OH! I know he can do his work there :)

Anyhow, just felt like sharing. That seemingly small 'Daily Bread' manual really had it's way with me this time!

Next time Daily Bread....you're mine!

(And because I feel it necessary to include a picture, here you are: I will officially be seeing lots of Ugandan sunrises in the weeks to come! Booyah!)