To Live is Christ — uncluttered

When we put new flooring in our kitchen, hall, living room and dining room, those areas were stripped of all furniture and accessories to minimize the cleanup after the job was done. We liked the simplicity and decided to not put it all back.

When we were in Arizona for a month, we stayed in a fairly new condo, simply furnished and decorated. The cupboards held all the essentials, no more or no less. We enjoyed the simplicity and freedom of being uncluttered. When we got home, we determined even more to get rid of those things that take up space but are not essential or even used.

Before this, I had little idea that I’d feel such a sense of freedom from paring down. I am an “information collector” with full book shelves. While my house is clean, all the storage areas tend to be filled to capacity. Besides that, I am a detail person who suffers from an easily distracted attention span. As we de-clutter, I notice that with fewer things to distract me, I feel more focused, more prepared to work at those tasks at hand. I’m also enjoying my home more as it contains less.

This works in my spiritual life too. The past few days I’ve been going over the characteristics of the self-centered life posted on March 24. As I consider each one, the Holy Spirit brings to mind things that I’ve been guilty of  and that I need to confess to God. As I do that, and as He produces in me a sense of remorse, He also forgives me, as promised. My guilt is taken away. Not only that, He is cleaning up attitudes and working to pare down my life. This passage from Psalm 51 is like a whirlwind going through my heart.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart — these, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:16–17)

The results have been amazing. Just like I didn’t know a cluttered room put pressure on everything else I did, I also didn’t know how much a burdened heart affected my sense of well-being. Even though I didn’t fully realize that I was carrying a big load, God did. He wanted to clean house, but I also needed to pray that He would show me what needs “fixing” in my life. This is a scary prayer, but definitely worth praying. I feel lighter, literally, and more able to focus on the essentials.

To live is Christ means being unfettered by sinful and selfish attitudes. Going through the motions of the Christian life is not what God wants. Instead, He wants me to see the stored up shelves of “me, me, me” and realize that it is clutter. He will sweep it away if I ask Him to do it.

However, Christ is polite. He only moves into spaces that are otherwise unoccupied. By clearing the storage shelves of my heart, He is free to refill them with Himself. He brings into my life a great freedom, even a sense of being organized and purposeful, and far more energy. Like my home, I am enjoying life more when it contains less — less of me and more of Him.