Spring Cleaning and Heart Cleansing

Earlier this week my sister and I went to do some Spring cleaning for a widow friend of ours.
As we washed dirty old windows, I began to see life more clearly thru my own soul-window.

 

Funny how we can find spiritual analogies and life lessons anywhere if we keep our eyes open for them. So I kept my phone -with it's handy little camera- close a hand to capture picturesque epiphanies, and prayed that the Lord would weave these forming, tangling thoughts into a thread that I could learn from.

Cleaning....Cleansing.... these are necessary for life.

Practically, washing away dirt and dust purifies our surroundings so we can live healthy lives. If we leave dust in a place for too long, it begins to collect and pollute the air. It also looks pretty disturbing, and creates an uncomfortable atmosphere.

We don't want to leave piles of junk laying around because somehow piles always find a way to grow.... and will eventually -and almost undoubtedly- pose very hazardous situations for us. For example; never, NEVER should you leave clutter, toys, and a small chair in the middle of the floor between you and the bathroom in the middle of the night when all is dark. This would be considered a hazardous situation. (I just happen to know this. Carry on.)

Spiritually, our hearts need cleaning and cleansing too. Sin, bad habits, old ways, dirty thoughts..... these pollute our minds and hearts, keeping us from seeing clearly and walking closely with God.
The chair-in-the-middle-of-the-floor example comes to mind again. If we leave spiritual dirt laying around and allow sin-clutter to collect into piles in our hearts, these may be the very things that cause us to stumble when we find ourselves in the dark seasons of life!

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me..." It was no wonder that this was the song stuck in my head throughout the afternoon as I vacuumed and dusted.

 

I want a clean heart. 

An uncluttered, purified, organized, 

renewed, cleansed heart.

But I cannot clean it. I cannot shove a vacuum or a dust rag inside my heart to clear out the filth.

I cannot sweep my own sin away, or scrub the hard and encrusted, baked-on bad habits off.

I cannot just simply change the way I operate and expect that to make up for my past negligence in those areas.

I must be cleansed.

Only Jesus our Maker, Redeemer, Saviour and Healer has the ability and the power to make us clean again. We can't do it ourselves.

What I can do, however, 

(and MUST do if I want to be cleansed)

is repent. 

Turn from my sin, confess it to Jesus, ask for His cleansing 

......and then walk in that purity.

Now that this subject has been so heavily on my mind, I am beginning to see more and more of the dirt in myself. It is- to put it quite simply- pretty yucky. I don't know about you, but if the pure in heart are the ones that get to see God, then I want to be pure in heart!!!

Oh Jesus, wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2 NIV)

And the exciting thing is.....
HE WANTS TO CLEANSE US!

Those of you who know me well, know that I LOVE this story....
"Then a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, 'Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.' Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, 'I want to. Be clean.' Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone." Matthew 8:2, 3 


What a merciful Savior Jesus is! Not only does He show us our need for cleansing.... He provides the cleansing Himself

I crawled into bed again last night with a heavy but repentant heart. Again, I had let dust build up on my sleeve.... and no one wants to be around a dirty self-centered attitude! I had let the filth collect inside my heart and then poured it all out of my mouth in one disgusting gush. Then I was left with an even bigger mess to clean up. I am tired of being dirty more often than being clean. I am back on my knees..... and -again- He has forgiven me and washed me with a beautiful new mercy. I can face today with grace and joy. Walking in repentance is a refreshing thing.

So, come on.... what are you waiting for?! Let's draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water!!! (Hebrews 10:22)

 

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, 

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:7-12 NIV