The REAL Artist

Today, I learned the importance of letting go.

How, you ask? Well, by cleaning my room.

Cleaning my room helps to eliminate the dust that makes me sneeze. It helps me to think better. It helps me to put things back in order. Back into their right places. For example, a clothing designer originally intended for their shirts to be worn, washed, and placed back on a hanger. When I pick up a shirt that dropped on the floor and place it on a hanger and into my closet, I am restoring my shirt back to it's original purpose: to be worn, washed, and hung up.

In a similiar way, I believe that Jesus calls each of us to "clean house". He wants us to get rid of the dirt and dust that clogs our pores and makes breathing difficult. He wants us to work with him to put things back to what they were originally intended for. He longs for his creation to have the order that it once had in the Garden of Eden. Yet in our present world, to fulfill such a task is challenging. We certainly cannot go out and end world poverty or human trafficking in a day on our own. But, we can all take steps together to clean out the things in our lives that are unhealthy in an effort to show the world a picture of what God is like; a picture of what he originally wanted the world to be.

I had become very good about pushing my "stuff" further into the bag. I was an expert at tidying it up so it appeared acceptable to the eye. Yet, as I went through all of my college things this afternoon, I realized that I hadn't allowed myself to let go. All the papers and notes I had saved were helpful and necessary during school, but I had held on to them for far too long. And so, I began reliving my past as I placed each piece of paper into the recycling bin.

Today, I learned the importance of letting go.

And with letting go, comes rearrangement. So, I decided to rearrange my furniture. I removed the old pictures from high school off of my walls and replaced them with new and updated pictures. I even created a small space where I can go to pray.

From my cleaning escapades, I've learned a few things. First, I naturally need to identify and clean out the clutter (both physically and spiritually) in my life. A flower cannot blossom if it's growth is stunted due to weeds, litter, a lack of water, and food.

Second, I need to learn to let go of the clutter. It's one thing to pull out the clutter into the light, but it's another thing to actually place it in the trash, to give away old textbooks and novels. Sometimes, I feel that we can become too emotionally attached to material items. There is an obvious balance that needs to be maintained. Every person, every situation, is different. A child may sleep with his blanket until he's 6 but then may not elect to use it as he gets older. He may decide to keep it, however when he moves out on his own as an item that triggers a positive memory. As I cleaned my room, I discovered that there were items, (similiar to the purpose that the blanket serves for a child) that I have kept. Though I outgrew these items, I stored them in a corner of my room. I knew deep within me that I needed to part with them, but I never took that first step.

On this Saturday afternoon, I did.

Today, I learned that importance of letting go.

Finally, I need to rearrange the furniture from its present spot, bring in the vaccuum cleaner, and commit to moving forward in this new living space. When I rearrange the furniture (like my bookcase) I am communicating that I am ready for a new perspective. Everyone has spiritual furniture that needs to be rearranged, cared for, and loved. This part must be accomplished together. Next, the vaccuum cleaner comes in to remove all those dust mites, paper clips, hair ties, etc. Then, I must vow to live in this new space, to adopt this changed perspective as my own, and to embark on each new day with a positive mindset.

All this to say, I believe that God longs for us, wants us, actually commands us to clean out the clutter in our lives. Engaging in such a task may very well cause us to sweat, to get dirty, to become thirsty - but in the end, it's all worth the sacrifice. We are called to embody this new life as our own. We must be willing to show and  to share our lives (both the dirt filled and the flower filled) with others. When we do this wholeheartedly, a gorgeous painting emerges from the depths of our souls designed by our very own artist, Jesus.