Clean Up. Clean Out. Clean In.
It was Thanksgiving morning and my family were all coming in for our annual festivities. I was in the kitchen and getting my turkey ready for the oven. I walked over to my dining room table and the sun was coming in like a force-field. And, what to my wandering eyes would appear — under my table, was a whole lotta dust and specs that I obviously missed on my recent floor cleaning. I quickly swept it all out.
A dear friend came in and spent the night at my home. When we walked into my living area the next morning, the sun was beaming in through my windows that face East. When we looked out — oh, my — we could see every spec of dirt and mire on those windows. It’s amazing what the sunshine will reveal on windows AND what the Son-shine will reveal in our lives.
About this time of year, many of us start to think about “Spring Cleaning”. We accumulate so much clutter (you know those little corners where we stack up mail, flyers and magazines), that we start getting weary from just walking by that corner. We need to CLEAN-UP! Then there’s the closets full of winter wear – boots, coats, gloves, hats – squeezed in so tight we couldn’t get another item in it. We need to CLEAN-OUT! Then there’s the attic that bears our seasonal decorations, unused furniture, hunting equipment, years and years of tax records and more building materials than you could shake a stick at! Okay, I just described our attic just after my Sweetheart graduated to heaven. When I climbed those stairs and looked in the attic, I hollered “RONALD WUERCH, how could you leave without cleaning out this mess?” LOL!
And, CLEAN-IN – this season of Lent (the 40-days that starts tomorrow, February 26th and lead to Resurrection Sunday). This time is more about “cleaning in” than cleaning out. Self-examination about the funk and junk that could be hindering a squeaky, clean heart that is a pure and honorable vessel for the Holy Spirit’s habitation. Our utmost desire should be to become so “clean” that the Galatians 5 “roto-rooter” cleans ours hearts out of the hatred, anger, fighting, jealousy, gossiping, criticizing, complaining, selfishness, etc. Bottom line…..it’s clean up, clean out and clean in time for those of us who sincerely desire that our hearts abound in “the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22).
You know how a fresh, clean house feels? Shouldn’t we desire that fresh, clean house feel, inside AND out in our lives? It comes by asking the Master Cleaner (Holy Spirit) to come more than once a month to clean. We want Him to show up every day to remind us: “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has CLEAN hands and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:3,4)
“Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10