Cobwebs, dust and boxes full of junk

"For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed."

Deuteronomy 30:16-18

It is the middle of February and right around the corner is spring. Time to throw open the windows and let the fresh air fill the rooms that have been closed up tight for months and give everything a good cleaning. How often does God want to get inside of our hearts and do a little cleaning? For me, He probably would like to do it every day.

I have realized lately that I have a tendency to hold on to things that I need to let go of and that are causing me harm. It is kind of like all those boxes of things I have stored up in the attic that I just cannot bear to part with that would make great kindling for a fire. So many things that need to be removed in our lives that takes up space and is harmful. Relationships that hinder our walk and discourage us instead of holding us accountable and bringing us encouragement.

For me it is letting go of what makes me comfortable. For eight years, my identity had been found in a particular activity. It was my passion and gift but it became my crutch. I relied on it to keep me going and to keep me surrounded with "godly" people. I figured that if I stayed where I was there was no way I could go astray because I was doing God's work and working with other "godly" people. I was wrong as I often times am. For several years, God had been trying to clean house in my heart and get me to move on but I chose not to listen. I was comfortable where I was and the possibility of having to do something else made me quite anxious and fearful so I disobeyed and with my disobedience came my destruction.

I got lost in all the clutter. I was trying to clean out the wrong things in an attempt to ignore what He really wanted me to do away with and just found myself lost in all the clutter. How silly when we try to do what we think is best instead of listening. I am realizing that God knows my heart and my ways unlike anyone else and so He knows when enough is enough. He knows when we have been in one place for too long and have become complacent and that place no longer has any effect on our lives. He knows when we need something new to awaken our hearts much like that warm bright sun shining through those open windows after a long winter.

Change is not always fun but it is needed in order for us to take necessary steps forward in our lives. We cannot stay in one place forever or it will become too comfortable and there will no longer be the challenge to be more or do more for Him.