I just realized that I haven't blogged since Saturday. Don't panic....I'm not in the hospital. In fact I guess I've been feeling so good that I've been so busy working on projects around the house that I've forgotten to blog. I've been having one of those "thinking/reflecting" weeks. Working on my Bible Study, having daily quiet times, cleaning out my closet, simplifying my life has had me really thinking about the difference between needs and wants. I always hated when my mom said "do you need it, or do you want it?" (she still says it) and although it ruffles my feathers I've been noticing myself saying it alot lately. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to hoard things. I'm not a pack rat and i have no problem cleaning out and getting rid of stuff, but there are certain areas where I just hoard. I can't let my stash dwindle down...I've always got to be stocked up. I've always been like this...when I was younger it was stickers and stationery I wouldn't use them, I just collected them, and only used them for very special things. Now I have scrapbooking which is just stickers and paper on a much larger scale! Some of the things that I collect/hoard now are clothes, belts, shoes, pens, hot tea (random, I know), Starbuck's mugs, cookbooks, books, devotionals, candles and the list goes on. Now I do use all of these things, but I'm always replenishing my supply. Heaven forbid that should not be able to find a pen to use. And don't get me going on all of the shows I have on my DVR (tivo) to watch. Most of the time I end of deleting alot of them, but only to make room for newer episodes!!! Lately God has been working on this area of my thinking. Why do I have this tendency to hold onto certain things or buy more of certain things? Seriously how many Starbucks thermal cups does one girl need. I think i have 5! I still haven't figured it all out, but I have realized that what I really desire for my life is order and simplicity which means less STUFF. Ironically, on yesterdays Oprah show Peter Walsh host of TLC's show Clean Sweep spoke about why people have clutter in their lives. I found it fascinating, because although I'm pretty organized I know that their are certain areas of my life that are cluttered. Peter said ""[Stuff] robs people of so much," he says. "If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace." Now I'm no where near where the featured family on the Oprah show was in regards to clutter, but don't we all allow clutter in our lives. It may not be physical clutter, maybe it's bitterness, anger, a bad relationship, resentment, jealousy, and the biggie....BUSYNESS! I realized that clutter can be anything that takes away from having a peace and joy, whether it be in our physical surrounding or within our mind, body and soul. When we are weighed down with clutter it is very difficult to allow true joy into our lives.
During my quiet time today I read a chapter from my Having a Mary Spirit book. The title was Dying to Live. It seems that everything I've been reading in my quiet times lately has been about dying to self, so that Christ can be truly glorifed in my life. Getting rid of the old stuff that weighs us down so that it can be replaced with what God wants for us. This has always been a bit of a struggle for me, at least in certain areas. I guess it's a struggle for everyone, considering we're all sinners saved only by the blood of Jesus. I find it so easy to give God certain areas of my life, but so difficult to let go of other areas. In order to be completely freed I must believe that what Christ did on the cross was enough. Enough for me. For my life. For my situation. Enough for everyone who will simply come to HIm and ask...and believe...and then receive. I must have FAITH...that kind of faith is not passive...."true faith requires OBEDIENCE. It requires being willing to stake everything on God's love and faithfulness---and then doing what He asks. Even when we don't understand. Even when He demands that we give up the things we love the most." (from book) Martin Luther wrote "Faith doesn't so free us from sin that we can be idle, lazy, and self-assured, as though there were no more sin in us. Sin is there...Therefore we have in our own selves a lifetime of work cut out for us; we have to take our body, kill it's lusts, force its members to obey the spirit and not the lusts."
I just love it when I have all the shades openned so that natural light fills my house. However, have you noticed that it's that natural light that always seems to show where all of the dust in your house is? When the lights are low you can't see all of those cobwebs in the corners, the dust on the ceiling fan, and dust bunnies lurking under the furniture. But when you let natural light fill your room all of those dusty cobwebs are seen in all of their glory. Isn't the same thing true within our mind, body and soul? When we allow God to shed His Light on our lives all of the dirt shows up. Thankfully God is the ultimate Mr. Clean....He wants us to allow His Spirit into our lives in order to have a clean sweep of our soul. By the blood of Jesus we are made completely clean and pure. As I begin to eliminate the dusty cobwebs from my life I challenge each of you to let God's light show you where your dusty cobwebs are hiding...what is cluttering your life and keeping you from the perfect peace and joy that God desires for you to have? Where do you need God to help you do a clean sweep?
