June 4, 2020
I am cleaning out my closet today. Am I excited to do this? Absolutely not. (Well, maybe a little, LOL…) I am definitely looking forward to the finished product. My kids call me “Danny Tanner”, referring to the neat freak, constantly cleaning dad on the sitcom, “Full House”. They’re not wrong and I am not offended by the comparison. In fact, I say “thank you very much for the compliment”, and “what’s wrong with liking things to be neat?”. But I must say, I am more of a straightener than a deep cleaner. When I sit down in my recliner at the end of a long day, I like to look around and see things all in place, not shoes, books, clean laundry, paper plates and empty Chick-Fila cups littering my space. I can’t really see dust from my recliner and if I do, I can just take off my glasses. I am constantly “finding a good place” to put things and then forgetting what I decided was the “good place”. That’s why my closet needs to be cleaned out. (It’s a good place for a lot of things.) When I begin the job, the bedroom is neat and tidy. Within minutes, it is strewn with the contents of the front of the closet. Before I know it, I can’t see the bed or most of the floor. I’ve always told my kids (about cleaning closets) that “it’s going to have to look worse, before it can look better”. So, I dive in deeper, with my head down and my butt up in the air, flinging fallen clothes, single socks, dusty books and dirty tennis shoes toward the closet door. When I reach the back of the closet, I turn around and discover that I am now trapped. The door way is blocked by a mountain of debris and of course, I am sweating, and I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll just have to clean my way out! I push my way through, shoving the pile with my foot, swearing to never again allow a wire coat hanger in my closet. When I finally emerge, gasping for cool air, I nearly cry. Not in relief, but in horror. What have I done? What happened to my neat and tidy bedroom? It looks like a tornado went through a Goodwill store in here! After a bathroom break and a cold drink of water, I return to finish the job and eventually the bedroom is back to its original state. But with a bonus: the closet is now also neat and clean. Giving one last satisfied look, I flip off the light switch and head down the hall. And I very nearly cry. Again, not in relief, but in horror. My living room is now covered in piles of clothes, large, bulging, black trash bags and stacks of wire hangers! “Whyyyyyyyyy?” (insert crying emoji here) (You know I’m going to haul all of this out before I can sit down and rest.) It is easy to ignore a messy closet. Just close the door. But that’s only a temporary solution to an underlying problem. Eventually, you’re going to need something out of there and finding the red tablecloth for the Christmas party is going to turn into an ordeal. One year, Santa had to leave goodies in gallon size Ziploc bags because I couldn’t unearth the girls’ Christmas stockings from the closet cave. Just as it can “backfire” on us to ignore a messy closet, likewise, it is unhealthy to always pretend that everything is going great, to put on a good show for our family and friends when underneath, something is really bothering us. Too much of this is detrimental to our physical and mental well being and can result in a complete breakdown of our ability to function. We should talk to the people that love us and ask for their help and support. And why do we try to hide things from God? He knows everything that is bothering us. He can see our messy closet, even if we shut the door. It is important to “open up” and spend time with Him each day in prayer and meditation. He’s there, waiting for us to ask for his help with cleaning out the closet of our emotions. Prayer cleans out the junk and reading His word puts our heart and mind back in good order. Just like cleaning the closet, it may look worse before it looks better, but in the end the results are worth it. Luckily, He also knows where the Christmas stockings are hiding. He will help us find our joy, if we only ask. Psalm 32:7-8 (TLB) says: “You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory. I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress.” Matthew 8:29-30 (The Message Devotional Bible) says this: “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Time to clean out the closet! Smile and be joyful!
I am cleaning out my closet today. Am I excited to do this? Absolutely not. (Well, maybe a little, LOL…) I am definitely looking forward to the finished product. My kids call me “Danny Tanner”, referring to the neat freak, constantly cleaning dad on the sitcom, “Full House”. They’re not wrong and I am not offended by the comparison. In fact, I say “thank you very much for the compliment”, and “what’s wrong with liking things to be neat?”. But I must say, I am more of a straightener than a deep cleaner. When I sit down in my recliner at the end of a long day, I like to look around and see things all in place, not shoes, books, clean laundry, paper plates and empty Chick-Fila cups littering my space. I can’t really see dust from my recliner and if I do, I can just take off my glasses. I am constantly “finding a good place” to put things and then forgetting what I decided was the “good place”. That’s why my closet needs to be cleaned out. (It’s a good place for a lot of things.) When I begin the job, the bedroom is neat and tidy. Within minutes, it is strewn with the contents of the front of the closet. Before I know it, I can’t see the bed or most of the floor. I’ve always told my kids (about cleaning closets) that “it’s going to have to look worse, before it can look better”. So, I dive in deeper, with my head down and my butt up in the air, flinging fallen clothes, single socks, dusty books and dirty tennis shoes toward the closet door. When I reach the back of the closet, I turn around and discover that I am now trapped. The door way is blocked by a mountain of debris and of course, I am sweating, and I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll just have to clean my way out! I push my way through, shoving the pile with my foot, swearing to never again allow a wire coat hanger in my closet. When I finally emerge, gasping for cool air, I nearly cry. Not in relief, but in horror. What have I done? What happened to my neat and tidy bedroom? It looks like a tornado went through a Goodwill store in here! After a bathroom break and a cold drink of water, I return to finish the job and eventually the bedroom is back to its original state. But with a bonus: the closet is now also neat and clean. Giving one last satisfied look, I flip off the light switch and head down the hall. And I very nearly cry. Again, not in relief, but in horror. My living room is now covered in piles of clothes, large, bulging, black trash bags and stacks of wire hangers! “Whyyyyyyyyy?” (insert crying emoji here) (You know I’m going to haul all of this out before I can sit down and rest.) It is easy to ignore a messy closet. Just close the door. But that’s only a temporary solution to an underlying problem. Eventually, you’re going to need something out of there and finding the red tablecloth for the Christmas party is going to turn into an ordeal. One year, Santa had to leave goodies in gallon size Ziploc bags because I couldn’t unearth the girls’ Christmas stockings from the closet cave. Just as it can “backfire” on us to ignore a messy closet, likewise, it is unhealthy to always pretend that everything is going great, to put on a good show for our family and friends when underneath, something is really bothering us. Too much of this is detrimental to our physical and mental well being and can result in a complete breakdown of our ability to function. We should talk to the people that love us and ask for their help and support. And why do we try to hide things from God? He knows everything that is bothering us. He can see our messy closet, even if we shut the door. It is important to “open up” and spend time with Him each day in prayer and meditation. He’s there, waiting for us to ask for his help with cleaning out the closet of our emotions. Prayer cleans out the junk and reading His word puts our heart and mind back in good order. Just like cleaning the closet, it may look worse before it looks better, but in the end the results are worth it. Luckily, He also knows where the Christmas stockings are hiding. He will help us find our joy, if we only ask. Psalm 32:7-8 (TLB) says: “You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory. I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress.” Matthew 8:29-30 (The Message Devotional Bible) says this: “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Time to clean out the closet! Smile and be joyful!
Comments
Post a Comment