We had our seasonal big cleaning day as a family. We cleaned the nooks and crannies that we could reach. We purged bags upon bags of unnecessary items from each room. I tossed things I knew we would never use. I ripped up physical momentos that no longer required space on our shelves. Even though we could've done more, cleaning out things we no longer used or needed was therapeutic. Someone who is not a regular visitor in our home may not notice what was removed, but I appreciated the organization and the less cluttered space.
While cleaning, I heard God's still, small voice nudge me. He pointed out that, like our homes, our hearts and minds require consistent purging sessions. We carry so much extra baggage and sometimes garbage that we actually should set daily reminders to do a routine sweep. He alerted me that I had been giving free mental rent space to disappointments and failures, and it was repeatedly playing. One simple thought or reminder would trigger a spiral of others, quickly making me upset or even depressed.
So with His prompting and discussion with my husband, we did a family exercise. We wrote down on a piece of paper all disappointments and failures we experienced that continued to have a negative impact on us. We didn't discuss with one another what we wrote. It was between us individually and God. We prayed and went outside, where my husband created a small (safe) fire. We threw our pieces of paper into the pit and asked God to burn up any pain associated with the past from our hearts. We would no longer carry the extra burdens and be set free to start again.
I felt much lighter and refreshed after I mentally and physically released the pain through this small prophetic act. I gave myself permission to start over and to have hope again. When my family and I returned inside, we agreed not to bring up the negative memories and move forward. (It goes without saying that we must first deal with the issues before dismissing them; otherwise, they will continue to pop up.)
Gratefully, our family is on a different trajectory of healing. God is doing new work inside of us, and I'm very thankful to see growth and expectation for what is to come.
I recommend you do the same if you happen to be in a similar boat like me. Rock the boat by examining what may be weighing you down. Throw out what is not meant for you to bear and get ready to set sail to new beginnings.
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