Simple and Transparent

I came outside to sit in the sun, pray a bit, and escape the overwhelming feeling of being surrounded with boxes, laundry, no food in the fridge, and kids wanting, wanting, fighting, fighting.  And as I sit here praying Lord you have shown me something beautiful.  This little 830 square foot home is how you want my life: Small, simple, no room for junk.  I have to either throw things out or have them stacked somewhere.  There are no cupboards to hide my mess in.  Things have to be put in order.  When someone visits they see how my mismatched towels are put away, folded or messy.  They see my dishes, laundry, and schoolbooks.  They see what is important to me and what I need to work on.  My home is a place to get rid of junk, it is transparent, small and simple, and in order.  My life and my heart need to be kept the same; simple and transparent, focused on Christ with no room for junk.

This was my journal entry the day after we moved into our new home a couple of months ago. It was so overwhelming. The boxes were stacked high in every room with barely even a path to walk. As I reread this journal entry this week I thought again of the heart. God calls me to have a simple and transparent heart, focused on Christ, with no room for junk. 

Does your heart have a junk drawer?  That drawer you never want anyone to open. It is so full of mess and junk that it is keeping you from being simple and transparent?  Does it distract you from being able to focus on Christ? Then friend, it is time to open it a little and start cleaning up.  Maybe you just need to take the whole drawer out and dump it in the trash.  Junk causes disorder, it is anything but simple, and can make it very difficult to be transparent.  Or maybe you just have some mess you have been hiding in the drawer and it is time to bring it into the light so that God can use it.

I pray friend that you will seek God and be obedient to what He calls you to do with your junk drawer.  Life is to be used for His glory. If it is junk that that does not glorify God then get rid of it. If it is mess, do not fear, God’s glory often shines brightest once you give Him room to work in the mess. 

“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” Ephesians 5:13

“For God is not a God of disorder but a God of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33