A Cleaning Spree of the Mind
Confession time: I’m a bit of a neat freak. Okay, okay, so I’m a bit more than a bit of a neat freak. I’m…extremely dedicated to cleanliness. Yes, that’s a better way to put it. This weekend, when I should have been relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous Florida weather, I found myself upstairs in our loft office area, organizing like it was going out of style. I didn’t just stop at the desk, though. I kept my merry organizational party going into the book shelves and the kid’s toy chests. Once the dust had settled, I found myself with garbage bags full of trash, several items for donation, and some refreshingly clean areas of storage. All said, it was my idea of a good time.
Ever since then, I’ve really enjoyed my new cleaned spaces. In the wake of this cleaning spree, I’ve found items that I could have been utilizing for my benefit. Items that could have been helping me in many ways all along, had I only been able to find them under all that clutter! Since finding them and being able to access them, I’ve been rejuvenated in my sense of accomplishment. It’s almost as if having the new space gave me a new excitement to finish projects, start new ones, and get more items checked off on my ever-present to-do list. Cleaning up the space gave me new focus. Cleaning up the space helped clear my mind’s clutter of “Ah! I have so much to do! I don’t know where to start!” and turned it into more of a “Today, I’m going to get this done!” type attitude.
I’ve recently undergone another organizational spree, but this one isn’t quite as visible as the one that granted me my newly cleaned office. This one, you see, was in my mind. I’ve been seeking God in new ways in this new year, and in order to do that, I had to get rid of a lot of “mind clutter” that had stolen my focus, and kept me off the purposes that God wants me to invest in.
It’s amazing how cluttered my mind can get during any given day! Thoughts of our home, my kids, my husband, dinner, needed shopping trips, and the 10 upcoming appointments I need to make can fill my head and leave me reeling. It’s easy to fall into, and yet easy to fix. What was needed was a good cleaning and organization day. I had to go through and take stock of what was necessary and unnecessary in my life, and then make space so that God could continue to impart all those things which He has that are new for me this year. I had to clear my mind of all the trash and be sure to make room for those things which would feed God’s thoughts and ideas in my awareness.
So how do you begin your internal clean sweep? Start simply. At the beginning of your day, ask God to be the center of your life, and for His Spirit (and not your flesh) to guide your actions, thoughts, and plans. Then, look at how you’re spending your time. Are you reading the Bible? Are you giving yourself time for thought and reflection? Are you having Godly conversations that feed your productivity? Are you reading books that help you in your quest for His will? If not, take out some of the things that have been taking up that space in your mind until now, and replace them with something from this list. It’s amazing how having a simpler, cleaner mind space, can inspire your focus and purpose in ways that dramatically change your life for the better!
Today, go on a cleaning spree! Dust off the shelves of your mind, and make room for the new thoughts that God will inspire in you when you simply allow Him the space to do so. It’ll change your day and your life!
