I hope you are enjoying this journey as much as I am.
Did I tell you I followed my own advice and cleaned up my Master closet over the weekend? Well, I took the SEVEN bags of clothes, shoes & purses I purged to a dear friend and her daughter. They were soooo thrilled! What a blessing to brighten someone else's life in this small way that was so big to them!
The part we are at in our Spiritual Spring Cleaning is getting a bit tough.
It gets pretty messy and difficult. Remember when you were knee deep in the piles of your physical closet and you felt so overwhelmed??
I can tell you that you will feel much the same as you are in the throes of digging out the issues that have been plaguing you for longer than you can remember.
SO, be easy with yourself and take the time you need. This is deep, HARD work. It is necessary and vital to your Spiritual and emotional health so it might take some elbow grease and TIME.
Take a break from it when you need to, just like you did when you were working on your closet. BUT, make sure you come back!!
You must ENDURE!!!!
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him."
Psalm 28:7
EMPLOY...
Just as using the proper organization tools is necessary for our cupboards and closets, it is vitally necessary that we employ the proper tools and help we need as we clean out our hearts.
If you come to a place where you need HELP, like I did when I was cleaning out my closet. Someone who can be objective, someone who can help you see things in another light, who can help guide you and lead you......Find that kind of help for your spiritual needs.
If you need to visit your Pastor, do so!
If you feel the need for a counselor....seek one out!
If you simply need the shoulder of a friend, call them up and make a plan with them right now!
If you just want someone to share your story with....write me here!!!
Throwing these rocks out of our back packs without doing the work of it will do us NO good! If that is what you do, then it is simply a physical act.
That is not the point!
The point is to rid yourself of the issues that have been buried deep within you.
Those things that need to be healed and recovered from. That is why you need to pull away and spend some quality time with the Lord. You can only do this kind of work with the help of our Lord and Savior.
ENDURE... No matter how bad the condition of your life, your heart, your mind...don't EVER give up!!!
Suffering precedes liberation
Galatians 6:9
Have you ever heard the analogy about the butterfly emerging from the cocoon?
I do not know all the scientific details but the gist of it is this;
The lowly caterpillar spins a cocoon where it stays awhile and begins a process called metamorphosis. Apparently there is a great struggle that must occur in order for the butterfly to emerge from the cocoon whole, healthy and beautiful.
I read a story once about a little boy who had been watching a cocoon, knowing that it housed a potential butterfly. He could not wait for the butterfly to emerge. One day he noticed a small hole in the cocoon. Excited that it was time, he ran to get some scissors and proceeded to "help" this poor little butterfly out of his prison.
What happened befuddled this little guy. Instead of a big, beautiful, colorful butterfly flying out, out staggered an unrecognizable creature. Instead of wings outstretched and beautiful, there were shrunken little flappers attached to a swollen belly.
Since the process was halted the butterfly failed to fully mature.
How many times have you wanted to be rescued from the pain? Oh I know I sure have!!!
It is difficult to think that pain is good, but it is in our suffering that we are made strong THROUGH GOD!!!!
"After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you".
1 Peter 5:10 NASB
One of my daughters has a life "motto"; "That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger." That is pretty much what this verse is telling us.
Mull all of this over and pray about those things that cause you pain and suffering and what you need to do with them. How do you need to handle these issues?What will it take to rid them of their hold on you? How can you let it go? Let God lead you and direct you through the process.
I will be back soon for more...........
I still have lots of good stuff to share before we wrap this up.
Love & Blessings!
XO
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