Cleaning Up The Post-Christmas Clutter…

…in our homes and in our hearts.

As I was quieting myself for time with the Lord, I was distracted thinking about all the after-Christmas clean up my home needs. I’ve got bags and bows that need to be stored for another year or tossed out if there isn’t room. The garage is full of boxes that need to be broken down and recycled. My tree and decorations need to be packed up and put away until next year. There are toys everywhere. I have things that the kids have already broken that are waiting to be fixed. There are many things to do, but with the kids still home from school, not so much time to do it. Perhaps your home is like mine in this season.

And as I was setting aside these thoughts to listen for the Lord, He said, “What about the clutter in your heart?” For some, that may sound like condemnation, but I immediately got excited. I have been on a journey the past few years of really getting to know the Lord intimately. I used to think the closest intimacy I could have with Him was just having a quiet time where I read the Bible and prayed. But now that I’m learning to hear His voice and walk with Him day by day, I get excited when He speaks something new to me. And I know if He is speaking to me about it, He will walk me through and free me from the clutter in my heart.

In the past, the clutter in my home would have come first. Disorder and clutter feel chaotic to me and leave me stressed. And after weeks of it while preparing for Christmas, I’ve maxed out on clutter. But I really felt such a deep pull towards time with God today that I set aside the to-do list for a few minutes.

The Lord has been having the song “Glory (Let There Be Peace)” by Matt Maher resonate so deeply within me in this season. The line “Let there be peace, let it start in me” has really been echoing in me all day.

So, yes, Lord. Let’s clean the clutter in my heart. Please shine light on and help me throw out any judgements, or bitterness, or jealousy. Sweep away the stirrings of fear and anxiety. Organize with me all the emotions that have been under the surface in this season and in this year so they can be resolved and responded to in a healthy way. Help me pack away the things that were brought out just for this season and shouldn’t be taken into the next one. I want my heart to be ready for the new year and all that You want to do in it, Lord. Let there be peace, let it start in me.

Where are you at in this season? Do you have clutter in your home or in your heart that you want to clean up before the new year? What is the Lord doing in you as preparation? If you haven’t learned to hear God’s voice yet, a new year seems like a perfect time to start.