I get a little jolt of pleasure. It's funny how something so simple, can be so satisfying, but as I pondered why a clutter-free, neatly arranged drawer could be pleasing, I began to see the spiritual applications as well.
What you can't tell from this picture is what it looked like before (I'm horrible at remembering to take the before pictures as I tend to jump right into the project because I'm so excited to get to the final product...oh, just spotted another spiritual app!).
Since I don't have the visual, I'll try to describe it in less than a thousand words: It was a MESS! Filled with kitchen tools, rubber bands, twist ties, plastic tabs that keep bread bags closed, jumbled cookie cutters, baboo skewers, crayons, lego, used matches, matches yet to be used, aluminum foil/parchment paper/wax paper boxes, several pairs of rubber gloves from the weeks of trying to regrow my fingerprints, bandaids and moist towelettes. Oh yeah, and mouse poop. Gross, I know. But it's what finally got me to clean the drawer. Very thoroughly.
After tossing out anything that couldn't be washed, pitching items I would never miss and repurposing a basket and soy butter container to corral some items, you can see the "after" results in the picture above.
Now back to the application...
I wonder if the little jolt of pleasure I get when I open the drawer is akin to what God feels when He sees us clearing out the junk in our lives? Think about it...
When we get rid of the things we no longer need, but were hanging onto just.in.case. we night need them, we are saying to God, "I trust You to provide me with the things I need, when I need them. You are my security."
When we toss out the garbage which has collected in tucked away places, we are saying to Him, "I no longer desire to have this in my life. I want to make room for the good things You have in store for me."
When we encounter sources of contamination and take the steps needed to clean it down to the microscopic level we are saying to our Holy Lord, "I recognize that which makes me unclean. Because you have purified me by your blood, I want me life to reflect Your holiness."
You can apply these questions to your home, but also consider applying them to your heart:
- Is there anything you are hanging onto which is inhibiting you from trusting God as your provider?
- Can you identify any "garbage" which has come into your life but you been reluctant to throw out...perhaps because of guilt, or a sense of "duty," out of avoidance of the pain that may come with it?
- Here's the tougher one to root out...Is there anything that has crept into your life, something God may be awakening in you, an awareness of something which is polluting your soul, making you less than the beautiful person He created you to be?
- And when you identify the things which must be gotten rid of, do you plow full steam ahead, so focused on getting to the finish line that you forget to ask God's help and design in reshaping, molding, purifying you in the way He desires?
So go forth and clear out those drawers. Maybe you need to start with an area in your house before you can tackle an area in your heart. But when it is cleaned, stop for a minute and listen for God's exclamation of joy.
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