Cleaning up the clutter

Spring is here!   In addition to all the planting and mowing that is going on, I took a stab at cleaning out my garage.  It is amazing how quickly things accumulate.  Stuff from various projects, camping gear from winter campouts, and garden tools all create clutter. And the clutter hides the stuff that I really need.  I was talking to Terry Connolly on Sunday and he was doing the same thing.  He said “I have been hanging on to so many things, that I decided I need to get the clutter out of my life, we all need to get the clutter out of our lives.” Its true that we as Americans have so much stuff that the management of that stuff can seriously complicate our lives.

While we are cleaning out our clutter, there is also clutter of a spiritual nature we should address.  The Bible says “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” (Eph 4:31-32 NIV).  Lets face it that in our lives things happen.  Jesus himself said “It is impossible that no offenses should come” (Luke 17:1a NKJV).  When offenses come, and we don’t address them quickly they tend to accumulate, like clutter in our lives.   And just as physical clutter can obscure the things we really need, this kind of clutter can obscure things that God wants to show us.

How do we deal with clutter?  Take care of it when it happens.  I heard a pastor once say that “Time wounds all heals.” Delaying doesn’t fix the problem, and it can create even bigger problems down the road.  But keeping things current prevents backlog from happening.  And ultimately some things we just need to forgive.  We as Christians should be the most forgiving people on the planet, because we know what it is like to be forgiven.  Amen?

Have a great Spring!

Paul

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