Ya gotta start somewhere….

As I stood at the doorway of our 1944 converted one car garage, I reminded myself of the fact that things were gonna look worse before they got better.

The latest use of this room has been storing 1/3 of my inventory for home staging.  But now that that business has shifted more toward decorating people’s homes, it was time to get rid of everything that crowded this space and free it up for its next use – a haven for writing, consulting and listening to the hearts of women.

I didn’t feel ready for what I knew was ahead.  The selling, the donating, the time it would take, the physicality of the job of eliminating. I thought of every excuse possible not to get started.

But I remembered someone saying,

“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”

Just going into that room became a source of agitation for me.  It was claustrophobic and overwhelming.

I knew I wasn’t going to be able to move forward with my new plans and dreams until I cleared the space of what I had done in the past. There was no easy way out of this one.

It wasn’t pretty. Hard work, sweat, lost weekends, sore muscles, exhaustion. And for a long time it didn’t seem like much progress was being made.

Halfway through it looked something like this:

UGH.

So much done but so far to go.

Just seeing this picture gives me a little pit in my stomach.

It looks like my soul did for way too long.  Filled with too much stuff.  Some of it just fillers and waste, but others that were downright destructive – sins, attitudes and ways of thinking that made my soul feel anything but safe, healthy and strong.

Taking up the most space in my soul were residual shame and debilitating fear.  And chipping away at that mess has taken time, energy and hard work.

 – Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the thought of changing something in your life – of removing clutter or getting rid of one unnecessary or damaging thing to make room for something new?

 – Is there anything in your heart that is going to take some hard work to eliminate?

 – Is your soul aching for breathing room and the fresh air of freedom from things that are holding you back?

Obstructive things can be as simple as a bad attitude and as complex as an erosive addiction.  It can be a toxic relationship or a paralyzing situation. Debilitating fear or stubborn pride. An insane schedule. Unresolved anger or conflict.

Anything that is choking the life out of your soul and making you die just a little bit every day.

As I start reworking this room for a greater purpose, it’s serving as an analogy of my soul’s need for a clean space to breathe and grow and evolve.  Reminding me that change requires change.  That I can do the hard work to get to the place I need and want to be.

The health of my soul depends on it.

I’m getting there.

That cluttered room has gone from a hot mess to something a little less suffocating:

It’s still in need of a lot of work – paint, new flooring, furniture – but I’m beginning to see the potential and promise that this room holds.

It is now open and available to something important and sacred and beneficial to others.

A snapshot of what God is doing in my soul and what He can do in yours.

While I’m painting this room today, I will be praying for you.  That God will show you places in your life that are crowding out your soul and its well-being.

I know that He’ll give you the inspiration, courage and patience that you need for the job.

And I think you’ll be pretty amazed by the results…. 🙂

***DIY PRACTICE:  As a visual for what God wants to do on the inside, pick something practical on the outside that needs a little decluttering.  Choose your favorite room and ask yourself, “What is in this room that needs to go, that causes me stress or angst or irritation? What is keeping this room from being the haven I need it to be?”

It may be one thing, it may be a roomful, but eliminate something if it makes you feel agitated or claustrophobic when you see it. Donate it, sell it, throw it away or box it up and store it.  If you’re having trouble distinguishing what it is, ask a friend. Just open up the space it took from your peace of mind and enjoy the difference that you feel when you walk back in that room.

Aaaaaahhhhh….

Truly,

J

Hebrews 12:1-2 – …let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Ephesians 4:22-24 – You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.