Spring Cleaning

Ah, Spring. I love this time of year—the vegetation begins to bloom, the weather warms up, the days are longer… I tend to be motivated to get things done. You know, clean up my flower beds (and this year, since the winter wasn’t so bad, I seem to have an overabundance of weeds taking over the plants), fix up things outside (pressure wash the house, my deck and porch need re-stained, trim work needs painted), and I need to do the interior ‘Spring Cleaning’ (wash curtains, clean out closets)—the list seems endless.

Isn’t it amazing at the amount of ‘stuff’ we can add to our ‘to do list’? Mine never seems to diminish. The flower beds, once originally tended, will need to be kept up with for the next six months (though truthfully, by mid-July I pretty much give up); the home repairs and upkeep are endless (sometimes I wonder if buying a house really was the more economical way to go than renting); and the cleaning inside gets so overwhelming that I don’t end up finishing what I start (last year I quit before I made it to the living room—the room we spend most of our time in; the room that probably needed the furniture moved and curtains pulled down more than any other); and just how do I accumulate so much stuff that I could hold a yard sale every single year?

I wonder if Jesus feels the same about us at times. That His ‘to do list’ of repairs, upkeep, tending, cleaning for us never seems to diminish. How many times does He have to pull the weeds out of my head and heart? (Luke 12:34) Or tend to me like a delicate flower, providing the proper nourishment? And it sure seems like each time I manage to get my mouth under control, a new word flies out, forcing Him to be on the constant mend and upkeep there. Not to mention the constant cleaning of my mind! My head is so filled with trash at times it’s a wonder I can even get out of bed some days. He certainly has His work cut out for Him where I’m concerned…

Wouldn’t it be nice if, once ‘we’ fixed an internal ‘issue’ or cleaned out (and up) our heads from all the junk that clutters it, we could actually let it go and move on to something else? [Am I the only one that seems to have to revisit certain aspects of my Christian failures?] (Philippians 3:12) I mean, when I finish a task on my ‘to do list’, I feel accomplished when I can cross it off and tackle the next item. But can I also admit that I don’t think I’ve ever entirely completed one of my ‘to do lists’? I usually end up leaving a task or two that were added at the planning stage, when the motivation and determination were at a peak (before the irritation and anxiety and exhaustion set in). Here’s where the similarity ends though—Jesus will finish His ‘to do list’ in us—probably not until we meet Him again, but none-the-less, He will perfect us. (Philippians 1:6)

As you take time to do your Spring Cleaning, and write out your ‘to do lists’—may I suggest that you allow Jesus to help you tackle your own internal mess? He took our mess to the Cross with Him (1 Peter 2:24)—and said the words that I never seem to manage: “It Is Finished.” (John 19:30)