Recently, we have been doing a lot of cleaning and getting rid of things in our house. We are expecting our first child very soon (she may be here by the time you are reading this), and that has meant a lot of preparations are underway at our house! Offices are turning into bedrooms, bedrooms are turning into nurseries, and things are constantly getting moved around.
Through all of this, I have made more trips to donate clothes, furniture, and other miscellaneous items than I can count in order to make space in our home for all the new things coming in. The fascinating thing is that even though it was just a few weeks ago when I was getting rid of all this stuff, I already couldn’t tell you half of what we got rid of. These were clothes and other items that have been in our house for years. Clearly these items weren’t as meaningful and life-changing to me as I apparently thought they were all this time. Maybe part of the reason I don’t miss any of these things is because I know there is something so much better that’s coming.
If we aren’t careful, it’s not just material things that get this way in life. We begin filling our time with all kinds of activities, meetings, projects, and commitments. We fill our spiritual lives so full that there isn’t room for anything else. In the moment, all of these things seem so important to us and we can’t imagine life without it. But often, it’s just like removing clutter from our house. Once it’s gone, we forget what we were even doing.
This Lent, take time to examine your life. Is your life full of “clutter?” Are there things that need to be removed in order for something better to take its place? How can you free up space to practice a daily devotional life, get involved in a Sunday School class or community group, or find a new way to serve others? If the message of Easter teaches us anything, it reminds us that sometimes things have to go away or die in order for resurrection to take place. It’s the only way we can truly experience the fullness of life God desires for us!
Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. – John 12:24
– Rev. Josh Attaway, Edmond Campus Pastor
