It seems there are times when the overwhelming sense of how quickly time is passing grips my heart and I find it hard to get my bearings. Each moment of each day seems to be full tilt ahead with little to no time to enjoy the journey or to sort through the events that are happening all around me. Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to join a wonderful group of women in a journey toward decluttering our lives and embrace a renewed relationship with Christ. As many are accomplishing great things around their homes bringing a sense of renewed peace to their spaces, I have found myself looking inward. I have spent time examining my heart inwardly. In my time of reflection I have discovered that I have allowed the changes, the difficulties, and the trauma associated with recent life events to overcrowd my heart with feelings that desperately needed to be “decluttered”. My thoughts, my actions, and my attitudes have been in such a swirl due to all of the clutter that I have allowed to pile up within my heart both spiritually and emotionally. As a result of this clutter, not only was I suffering mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, my physical well-being was suffering as well. There simply was no place within my heart for God and the Word that He was trying to speak to my soul due to the clutter that I kept sealed away within my heart. As a result, I was left feeling empty, alone, and afraid.
In turning to God’s Word, I discovered verses that have helped guide me through the process of “decluttering my heart” so that I could once again search for Him with my whole heart. A heart uncluttered with overwhelming feelings, struggles, and emotions from my past.
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4: 6-7
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will harken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19
God wants me to let go of the past and move on toward what He has for me in each moment of each new day with a heart that is free from clutter; free from a cluttered heart that keeps me from being able to search for Him with an open heart !! He has plans for me, I no longer feel empty, I no longer feel alone, and I am no longer afraid. I know that there will be times that I will need to return to the feet of Jesus and declutter my heart, but for now I am resting in His promises that He will always be there to help guide me through that process.