One of the chores that I really despise is cleaning out the closets, especially my own. I know that I have clothes in there that I haven’t worn since I retired from teaching nine years ago. Yet, the clothes are still there, taking up space, just like the shoes and the too-many blankets, and the crafts I started and never finished.

When I think about having to clean out the closet, I get tired before I even start working on the task. Just the thought of all of that clutter seems insurmountable.

As I considered the whole closet cleaning scenario, which is way overdue, Jesus reminded me that He is keeping my spiritual house in order. He nudges me with the Holy Spirit to take care of something and I generally do (although I confess sometimes it takes more than one nudge before I act). He wants me to get rid of the things that are not helping me to grow and to replace them with His fruits that feed others. So, the Lord Himself helps me keep the closet of my life clean. Sometimes, I think something is hidden away and the Lord has missed seeing it. Not true! Not only does He see everything, He is gently working to remove it from its glued-in-place position in my life. We all think that we have plenty of room in our lives for everything we want to cram in. But what we need to do and what Jesus encourages is prioritizing and setting boundaries and limits. Getting rid of things we don’t use anymore is just like cleaning out the closet in the bedroom. Once it is done, I have room for things that I didn’t even know that I needed.

Because Jesus cares for us, He doesn’t want us to deal with the worries of the day. He cleans them out for us, if we will let Him. Then He replaces those worries with faith-filled promises and a hope for a brighter future. Maybe those anxieties are taking up too much room in the closet of your mind…so time to let Jesus clean them out and leave more space for His love and His plans for you.