Making Space in the HeartHouse

Spring seems to be the time to give the house a thorough cleaning. I am sure you have done it: "spring cleaning". But the truth is, our emotional house, the heart, could use a good cleaning out also. Nothing like a good trip to the garbage dump carrying away the junk that has been accumulated in our hearts. We could even have a "soulish garage sale". Actually, on second thought, we might want to ditch that idea because most of the hoarded things in the heart certainly should not be sold to anyone else, even for the cheapest of prices. No, we have to take a trip to the garbage dump.

We could go through the heart closets and rooms, and search for the rotten resentments, horrible hurts, grungy grudges, and crumpled up injustices. Hmmmm....the rooms to our hearts may be barricaded with all sorts of things for fear of feeling that hurt again. Work, work, work. Also need to check around for some loosened morals, twisted up values, and messed up priorities that sneaked in during the year and took up residence. We would do well to invite God on this search and find mission since the heart is deceitful. It takes a prayerful

attitude, one of humility, to embark on this kind of search.

The reason I thought a "fall cleaning" would be helpful is first of all to make room for the possibilities of bringing in newfound thanksgiving into our hearts. Not just the lip service kind but the heartfelt celebratory kind. So as Thanksgiving comes our way, we could have room in the heart closets for bringing in the many gifts that have come our way and truly truly be grateful.

Then just behind Thanksgiving, we have the whole season of Christmas absolutely running over with gifts for us to store somewhere in the hearthouse. All kinds of love, joy, peace, and good will toward men in beautiful packages, ours for the taking, if only we have room for it.

Also we have the possibilities of storing away some newfound hope as we sing the themes of new birth and anticipation. Anticipation of the new things that will fill our drawers and closets, accent our rooms, will make the work easy. So grab the brooms, the dustcloths, and maybe even the dreaded plastic gloves, and go after it!