I remember what my mom told me. When you have to clean your room and it is a total disaster. Start in the corner and work your way out.
After a conversation this AM about cleaning I came to a realization of a spiritual correlation that has me extremely thankful. I am thankful for my Beloved, Ron. His spiritual leadership, that he may not even realize he is doing, always makes me think. When he cleans a room. First, Clean out the trash. Second, Pick up the clothes. Third, Make your bed. This is basic right?!?! An easy way to clean a room for a young child. 1 task at a time. But this has me thinking of the spiritual correlation.
First, Clean up the trash. Get rid of the sin in my life. Confessing our sin before God. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 He forgives our guilt. And we then turn from the sin. Repenting means: to turn away from. Imagine walking the wrong direction and seeing it is wrong and turning the complete opposite direction and never going back. The bad is behind you. We don’t do as Lot’s wife and look back at it. We keep on walking in the right direction.
Second, Pick up your clothes. This immediately had me thinking about the armor of God from Ephesian 6:10 -18. BUT then, I felt this strong pull to the fruit of the Spirit. Trading the ‘bad traits’ for “Christ traits’ Galatians 5:22–23. Picking up the products of His Good Holy Spirit. So for me. The Holy Spirit is saying The Fruit of the Spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self control. When I pick up these things then in my day to day life I am transformed. THIS is not always easy but just like cleaning my room. Cleaning HIS room in me gets easier each day. And then as in Romans 5. Suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope.
Third, Make your bed. We know how this goes. Put on the fitted sheet, Tuck the corners of the flat sheet, add the comforter placing it neatly and even on the sides. Fluffing the pillows and placing them neatly. It is clean and neat, looks safe and you have to un-tuck it to get in. The Armor. God, You are so good! Now we place our armor. Placing it neatly, being meticulous about each and every piece.Not forgetting any part to protect us from harm. Ephesians 6:10–18
When we clean up our ‘room’ we are READY and ABLE to do His good work. HIS Will for our lives. We can love the unlovable. Pray for our enemies. Bless those who persecute us. Be joyful in the sorrow. Be patient with the things in this world that try to disrupt our lives. And we grow. Our ‘room’ grows and is filled with His ways. Isaiah 55:8–9 His ways are higher than mine.
What do you need to do in your “room”?
Be Blessed. I know that I am. He has placed a fantastic leader in my life that always brings me to focusing on inner growth for an outward expression.
