Opening the closet door, I recoiled at what I found on the other side. In the six months since we’d stowed our summer gear, a few critters had taken up residence in the dry, dark space. Thick spider webs laden with dust hung in the corners and mouse droppings were strewn across the plywood floor. Before we could enjoy a day of fun at the lake, we would have to clean out our storage locker and wipe down all of our gear.
It hadn’t taken long for the elements to have their way over the winter months. Armed with a broom and a bucket of water, we got to work killing spiders, removing webs, sweeping out droppings and dirt. The season of fun couldn’t start until we cleaned the grime off our summer toys.
As we worked, I thought about how the gradual decline into disorder had occurred. It was a perfect example of entropy. Without our regular presence there to keep things tidy, nature had taken its course. It was our responsibility to get things back in order.
The more I cleaned, the more I saw the parallel to our spiritual lives. We have great intentions and set plans in place. We commit to people and activities that will help us to grow consistently in our relationship with God. We resolve to do a variety of things to stay on track, whether it’s reading our Bibles more, saying “yes” to serving or using our spiritual gifts. We have noble intentions about being held accountable by others or eliminating behaviors and activities that don’t honor God. But somewhere along the way, we just can’t tend to all of the things we want to do and spiritual entropy sets in. Our lives default to old behaviors and thought patterns when we’re not paying attention.
Is it time for you to do some spiritual spring cleaning? Have some of those commitments you made in September or January been pushed aside? Are you having trouble remembering the “one word” you chose to focus on this year? Take a look at the questions below and see if any of them resonate. Use the corresponding verses for encouragement to get back on track.
-How are you doing with making Bible reading a regular discipline in your day? “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8, NIV)
-Are you making it a priority to gather consistently with other believers at church, Bible study and/or small group? “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV)
-Is it time to clean out some unhealthy thought patterns that are influencing what comes out of your mouth? Have cynicism, negativity, gossip, foul language or criticism slipped into your conversations with more regularity? “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29, NIV)
-Are other negative thought patterns affecting your perspective consistently? Are you holding onto bitterness, anger or malicious thoughts and letting them color your outlook? Are you withholding forgiveness from those who have hurt or offended you? “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32, NIV)
-Have you stopped trying? Maybe apathy and complacency have a hold on you. Perhaps you’ve gotten comfortable with the way things are and don’t want to put yourself in situations that require effort or change. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” (James 1:22-24, NIV)
-Have you let busyness force you to replace the important with the urgent? “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'” (Luke 10: 38-42, NIV)
-Are you fighting against your natural inclination to critique and judge others? “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:11-12, NIV)
-Do you need to clean the cobwebs of worry out of your mind? “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26, NIV)
If you’re feeling convicted, why not pray and ask God to help clear out the grime? Invite Him to partner with you in your spiritual spring cleaning. “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV)
Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve defaulted to some thoughts and habits that have sidetracked you spiritually. Instead, embrace the powerful truth of “Maybe It’s Ok” by We Are Messengers.
