Spiritual Packrats

Don't ask me why. The word, "packrat" came to mind while I was sitting on the chair at the dentist office getting ready for my first "metal tune-up". Yes, it has been a month now that I am still a "metalmouth". I think I have about four months to go before I show a new Jimmy Carter smile.

First of all, let's see the words of God:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart." (Psalm 139:23)

Packrats...do you know any? No, they are not little furry creatures that are often seen with suitcases, they are actually people just like you and me. Packrats are people who have the habit creating clutters or have a set of compartmentilization in their lives. Their personal space has been taken over by a galaxy of untidiness. Galaxy!? Look in your garage or utility room. How many boxes of items are there that have not been touched since graduation from high school, Converse shoes that will never be worn again, boxes of unread books dating back circa 1980's, and galaxies of junk.

Why do people allow a disarray of debris to invade their personal space? A couple of traits:

Lack of time
Discipline
Desire

Or perhaps, you have blended all three together in your life? Household clutter takes over way too much space, diminishes energy, and creates frustration. Have you been there? Are you still there? Many of us are!

Have you ever wondered if you might be a spiritual packrat? Remember one thing: Jesus lives in us believers. If you're not a believer, consider your time, discipline and desire to talk with a minister about this. In other words, your heart is the home of Jesus Christ.

In the physical realm, packrats muddle their homes with unneeded items. Sure, we're the ones who allowed the stuff in our house in the first place, but it's important to regularly 'dejunk' our space; sort of like a Spring and Fall cleaning. But Spiritual packrats are much the same—they allow Christ's home to get crowded by unneeded items. Do you have unresolved conflicts that pile up in the corner your emotions; or unconfessed sins fill up all the closet space of your heart; and unspoken prayers litter our minds. It is crucial that we regularly 'dejunk' our spiritual lives.

If you are a spiritual packrat, maybe it's time to give Jesus a little more room in your heart. It wouldn't be pleasurable seeing mile-high stacks of books at the entrance of a home, dirty dishes left in the sink, dust-bunnies in every corner of the floor, and trash cans full to the rim. I don't think Jesus would want to reside in a room full of cobwebs and stagnant heart due to lack of faith in action. If you're a little rusty on how to 'declutter' your house (heart), here's some speed cleaning advice from God's Word.

CONFLICTS UNRESOLVED:

Take note of God's Word here,
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault." (Mt. 18:15).
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." (Mt. 5:23-24)

We are responsible for resolving conflict (if we caused it or experienced it), regardless of whether or not you were the one offended. If you were hurt, go to the person; if you hurt someone else, go to the person. Simple as that!

SIN UNCONFESSED:
"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psa. 66:18)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 Jn. 1:9)

When sin is left unconfessed, it's like a dirty pile of socks (ewww) that makes the room smell worse with every passing hour. Keep short accounts with God.

PRAYERS UNSPOKEN:
"Let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6)

When we fail to go to the Father with our prayers, we fall prey to worry (we talked about that last Wednesday (02/01/06) so if you missed the class on how to "Wallop Over Worry", you missed it - which then fills our lives with unnecessary stress.

David's prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 can be a wonderful beginning to a clean spiritual home in your heart as we ask God to search us, point out our wicked ways, our lukewarmness (Rev. 3:16), our lack of faith in action, and lead us in His will.

It's very tough for Christ to use you to reach your friends if He can't even find His way through your heart! Ask yourself: Does my heart need a serious cleaning? Why or why not? Which of the three areas of spiritual clutter affects me the most?