Spring Cleaning

I opened a utensil drawer in the kitchen, and I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or gasp. We all put things in the wrong place sometimes, but this was taking it a bit too far.

A bag of lettuce.

Right there next to the ice cream scoop.

Really.

I will say that the drawer is home to a variety of bag clips—and there was indeed a clip on the lettuce bag. So my best guess is that I saw the clip and put it away…I just missed a step!

This isn’t the first time I’ve done something surprisingly mindless, so I’m beginning to recognize a pattern. Whenever I catch myself in a where is your head kind of moment, two common denominators exist:

There is too much and there is too little.

Too much racing and too little resting.

Too much managing and too little engaging.

Too much pouring out and too little filling up.

As we enter spring, I think I have some spring cleaning to do! Maybe you are feeling it too.

It’s not the type of cleaning that involves sifting through that utensil drawer, removing two of the three pizza cutters and getting rid of the crumbs. It’s the kind of clean-out that means taking inventory of commitments, calendars, demands on our time and our kids’ time. It’s a process that can lead to tough conversations about responsibilities that no longer fit, reorganization of our days, delegation of household chores, and a restoration of peace and space.

Ironically, to find the peace that is lacking, we need to carve out time for stillness and reflection. Time to let God take our clutter and give back only what is right for us in this season.

In the devotional Flourish*, Margaret Feinberg shares a fantastic strategy for finding calm in the chaos. She uses slow, focused breathing and Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Be. 

Be still.

Be still and.

Be still and know.

Be still and know that.

Be still and know that I.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know that I am God.

In between each full breath, she whispers these words until arriving at the complete verse. Filled with peace.

In this frame of mind and soul, we can be fully present to sort through the overflow in our lives, asking God to guide our choices.

I am ready to tackle spring cleaning this week! My plan is to get still and get real. With pen and paper in hand, I will take an honest, prayerful inventory of the demands on my schedule. Then organize and prioritize! Want to join me?

We have to slow the rhythm of rush in our lives so the best of who we are can emerge. Lysa TerKeurst

This devotional is one of my all time favorites!