03/01/2018
Free of the Junk
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
─ Proverbs 4:23
Janie texted her friend Myra: how’s the remodeling going? Did you get everything put back together?
Myra responded: the house looks great. we just made a second run to church to donate the things we just couldn’t put back in the house. such a cleansing feeling to be free of all the junk.
Janie paused, thinking about Myra’s words. Free of the junk. The phrase played repeatedly in her mind. She knew she had some emotional junk she really needed to get rid of. She also knew that dealing with it wouldn’t be easy. But those four words in Myra’s text had pricked her heart.
It is our responsibility to guard our hearts. We must keep them free from clutter. The busyness of life can distract us while emotional hurts pile up. Before you know it, shame, grief, guilt, doubt and many other heart issues can fill up the spaces of your heart until there’s no room for God’s peace and love. That’s why it’s important to do a heart check and take inventory of what we’re allowing to reside there.
The good thing is we don’t have to do the clean up alone. God will help us identify and throw out the junk so we can live free from emotional distractions.
Today’s One Thing
Close your eyes and think about the emotions you’ve dealt with recently. Ask God to help you identify the junk, and then do what’s necessary to live free from it today.