My daughter’s room had become so messy that a few days ago I finally issued the ultimatum, “No tablet, tv, etc. until it is cleaned”. Honestly, I thought that would be enough; it usually works quite effectively, but this time was different. My daughter had let it get to the point that it was overwhelming her. Not only were there toys everywhere but there was also a lot of junk. There was “stuff” stuffed everywhere! When I say it was bad, I mean it was really bad!
Since, I could tell she was overwhelmed, I decided to have mercy on her and help her out. It wasn’t fun, and it got a LOT worse before it got better, but we got it done. You see; I knew how to clean up the mess that she had made of things. With a simple three step process we had it cleaned in a reasonably short amount of time. I told her the plan was to put it away, give it away, or throw it away. Using this process, we were able to clean up the mess she had made of things.
Sometimes, you just need some help cleaning things up; sometimes, you just need your parent’s help. As we surveyed her now clean room and admired our work, I realized that the same thing is true in everyone’s life. Sometimes you make a big mess of things and need your Parent’s help cleaning things up. Thankfully, He is always willing to help us clean up the messes we make. It may not be easy, in fact, it usually isn’t, but with His help, it can be done.
While helping my daughter clean her room, we had to bring out all the junk; we had to clean out all of her “hiding spots”. Sometimes, our Father has to do the same thing in our lives. Sometimes, in order to clean things up, He has to make a big mess of things first; He has to move things around and shake things up. It usually isn’t much fun, but it is necessary. It really isn’t clean if you have a bunch of “junk” hiding in the corners and underneath things!
We need Him to help us pull it all out into the open and decide what to do with it. And funnily enough, He often leads us through the same process I took my daughter through. Put it away, give it away, or throw it away. The things that we “put away” are the things that matter, the things we want to keep. We hide His Word in our hearts and learn to live by its truth; we allow His Word to be our guide. We hide His Word in our hearts so that we don’t sin against it (Psalm 119:11).
What do we give away? We give away our fear of anything but Him. We give away our desire for anything that we want more than Him. We give away our need to please anyone but Him. We give away our need for control. We give ourselves away. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” John 3:16a. Like Him, we let our love compel us to give the absolute best we have to offer to Him. We give our best to Him because He gave His best to us, beloved!
Put it away. Give it away. Or throw it away. So, what do we “throw away”? We throw away our old self. “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” Eph. 4:22-24. We throw away our old nature, our old self and we choose to put on the new man.
Like my daughter, we can’t do the “cleaning” on our own, but we need not fear; He is always ready to help. In fact, He has already done the cleaning, it is just up to us to walk in the new identity He has given us. It is up to us to choose to believe the truth that we are indeed a new creation and that we are clean. If you are a genuine child of God, you are clean, forgiven, and pure. Yes, you may still make some messes now and then, but it doesn’t change who you are.
When that happens, just go to Him, and let Him help you “clean things up”. By the way, my daughter is really enjoying her clean room. She has discovered that things are a lot better when you clean out all the junk. My friend, you’ll find that the same will be true for you as well. Whatever junk you may be trying to hide, whatever junk you have been “stuffing”, it’s time to let it go. It’s time to clean it out. Go ahead. He will help you and I promise you this. It sure will feel a lot better after you get it cleaned out!
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Katrina Douglas
9/29/20
