Cleaning House

from June 2020

The Cross Road

by Danny Hesterly

Do you have any old, dusty boxes that need to be thrown out?

A couple of months ago, my family moved out of a 2100-square-foot home and into a 900-square-foot apartment. Needless to say, it has been quite the transition for us all. My two kiddos are sharing a room, and I can cook an omelet, wash dishes, and do the laundry—without moving a foot. Our family is happy: a little smooshed, but we are finding wonderful contentment in the season God has us in.

The process of moving is almost unbearable. For those who have moved multiple times, you know and feel my pain. I would rather be covered in honey and have a pack of wild hyenas chase me than go through the process of packing and unpacking (I’m kidding…I can tend to be a little dramatic at times).

In my previous home, there was a nice-sized room in the garage that housed all the unpacked boxes from our previous moves. Some of these old, dusty boxes had been moved three to four times AND STILL HAD THE ORIGINAL PACKAGING TAPE! As I was looking through

and trying to figure out how to make 2100 square feet of stuff fit into a 900-square-foot apartment, I came to the conclusion that some of these boxes wouldn’t make the transition to our new place and needed to be thrown out.

Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

This first part, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…” is a constant prayer of mine. I know there are things in my spiritual life that need daily attention, but it’s easy for my days to get busy, and I lose focus on those spiritual matters. So what happens is they get neglected, and things that are neglected often are forgotten… …until I ask the Lord to reveal those things that are unpleasing to Him, those offenses that lay in the shadows. God is amazing; He gently reveals these old, dusty boxes that haven’t been opened in a while and asks me to take a look and see what needs to be thrown out.

Here’s the wonderful part of it: even though it never feels great in the moment—realizing that there are sins, character issues, or behaviors that sadden God—He never grows tired of helping me clean out the clutter to create more space for His love, grace, and joy to abide.

Let me ask you a question. What dusty, old boxes in your spiritual life need to be examined and thrown out? Today, God wants to gently look into your heart. He wants to take out the unnecessary things you’ve been carrying around. He will take the empty space that’s created and fill it with more of Him. Take a moment and ask God to search your heart. Trust me: you’ll be glad you asked Him.