Upheld In Clutter and Finish

January

This is the time of new starts. Everybody goes to the gym this month. Or vows to clear out the clutter at home. Or start new projects. I suppose it is appropriate. It is a new year, after all.

Who doesn’t consider cleaning out stuff in January? And while considering a word for the year (everybody does that now, right?), who wants to consider “cleaning” to be a word to live by?

Well, this is where I was over the weekend. It even bled into Monday and interfered with writing my blog. Which was hard to do because of the—well—clutter.

Clear the Clutter

First, I am a book hoarder. That’s probably my biggest problem. I’m sure some of you can relate. I think that I really don’t need all the books that I have. That is, until I try to weed them out. What in the world can I chuck?

I need the research books. Yes, I know, I can look on the internet. But it’s better in a real book, right? What about the how-tos? I might need those. The spiritual growth books? No, I definitely need those. The fun books. Just no.

Ok, then, what next? Oh yeah. The wall file that I once thought would be so convenient. Yeah, it is plenty convenient for the cat who likes to rub his head all over the files and chew on the papers, hoping to get my attention. And when I look at what’s in those files, I gasp when I see I haven’t looked at that for a year! The cat will have to find a new annoyance.

At least something got cleared away!

The Trouble with Clutter

As I think about it, maybe I just need a bigger house with a bigger office. Uh … no.

The trouble with clutter is that it gets in the way. It makes concentration difficult. It makes any kind of internal examination challenging. When stuff is laying around, not even the tablet set aside for list making to aid in concentration helps.

If I can’t clean out stuff, I have too much. If I have too much, then I am full. If I am full, then God can’t work new things in me.

It is as simple as that. 

Finish

My word for this new year is FINISH. Let’s be clear about this. I wrote about new starts a bit ago and yes, now I am talking about finishing. I have a lot of projects that I started, then set aside to start another, and now it is time to finish some of those. But I need help to stick to finishing.

Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He has promised to bring about the changes in us that will remake us in His image. But, it just might be up to us to clear out the clutter that will open our spirits to him and ready us to follow His lead wherever He wants to take us.

Clear the clutter to see Him.

Clear the clutter to hear Him.

Clear the clutter for the freedom to obey Him.

It is January. It might be a good time to start. So we can finish.

“…Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV).