I opened the door to my youngest daughter’s closet the other day and realized that something had gone terribly wrong. This closet, which was once neat and organized, had become a disaster. There were untidy stacks of baby clothes on the shelves and pieces of equipment that she no longer needs were haphazardly placed on the floor. I could barely step into the closet, much less find the item I was seeking!
As I looked at the disorganization of this closet, I sensed the Lord reminding me that this same thing happens in my spiritual life. I may keep the commonly used areas of my life—the spaces I utilize all of the time and that other people see—neat and tidy, but the “closets”—the hidden, infrequently used spaces—have a tendency to become disorganized and downright messy.
Do you see what I mean? If you think about your own life, you may also see some differences between what’s visible on the outside and what’s hidden on the inside. The Bible addresses this issue in Matthew 23:25-28:
“‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.’”
Personally, I bristle a bit at terms like “hypocrisy” and “wickedness.” However, that is what’s happening, isn’t it? What’s visible on the outside isn’t always a reflection of what’s happening on the inside. What’s happening on the inside is sometimes sinful. This is a somber realization, and I don’t want for this to be the case. What can I do to change it?
Be intentional about cleaning the hidden places
Just like I’m intentional to deep clean (i.e., spring clean) my house each year, I need to be intentional about deep cleaning my spiritual closets. Here’s what this looks like for me:
- I’m asking the Lord to search my heart and show me “if there is any offensive way in me” (Psalm 139:23-24).
- I’m confessing and repenting of the things the Lord brings to mind (1 John 1:9, Psalm 51).
- I’m memorizing Bible verses that will help me avoid these sins (Psalm 119:11).
- I’m being open with others about my struggles so I have support and accountability as I change my ways (James 5:16, Proverbs 27:17).
If there were no doors on the closets in my home, then the closets probably wouldn’t become disorganized. There are two reasons for this. First, I would take action to reorganize them because I’d notice when they began getting untidy. Second, I wouldn’t want guests to see them in disarray, so I’d be sure they looked good when others visited.
These two things are also true of my spiritual closets. If I examine them frequently, then I’ll be able to take action because I’ll notice they are untidy. If I let a friend in on what’s happening in them, then I’ll do a good job cleaning them up because I have accountability. Because of this, the first and last bullet points above are particularly fitting anchors to the process of deep cleaning these hidden areas.
Do you have any closets that have become untidy? What do you think are the best ways to clean these?
Shared at the following:
Monday’s Musings, Coffee and Conversation, Grace and Truth, and The Art of Homemaking.
If there were no doors on the closets in my home they would probably look great! Yikes! This is a very good reminder. Visiting from Monday’s Musings today:)
It’s so different when things are visible, isn’t it, Patricia? Thanks for stopping by!
What a great caution and words of advice… so important to evaluate our words and actions vs our true feelings/heart attitude.
There’s often a disparity between the two, but there really shouldn’t be!
Very convicting post! Sometimes I clean the house so well, before company arrives, that I am exhausted by their visit. 😀 I love your verses from Psalms and from James.
Shannon, I popped over here after reading your comment on my blog. Your comment made me think of something funny from my younger years of marriage, but it fits perfectly with your post about the visible and the unseen. Several years ago, when I was not as submissive, I would buy air fresheners and hide them behind pictures or books. Why? Because I loved them and my husband did not want me buying them- LOL! …Forgive me, Lord, for my hypocrisy and lack of a submissive heart.
Your story is humorous, Erin, but it’s also a great example of the difference between what is visible and what is hidden. Thanks for sharing!
What a great post! So much truth! We’ve got to bring our messes to the light of day if we want to overcome them! Thanks for this challenging post! This week we are deep cleaning the home we just bought and I’m going to keep your words in mind as we fill it with our things and challenge myself to keep the messes to a minimum and my heart focused on serving with love! I’d like to share your post in a series I’m planning for next spring… Blessings!
I love thinking about cleaning our hearts as I clean my physical house! We need to clean them both. I’d be honored to be included in the series, Liz.
I love this post and thought I commented the other day but I don’t see it. I actually printed it out to reference in an upcoming sermon that I have been doing on Seeing Each Other Finished In Christ. This is such a convicting post and so timely. Thank you for your candidness to help encourage the body of Christ.
Hi Timberley,
I haven’t seen the other comment, but technology isn’t perfect so it’s possible it got lost somewhere. 🙁
I’m so glad you are able to use some of this post in the sermon. I do hope others are encouraged and challenged!
I am horrified at the thought of no doors on my closet. God, however, does have a way of opening the door in my heart. Thank goodness. Wonderful post!
Praise God that He can change us!
My closet is a mess! I have to be vigilant to keep it straight. In school (a Christian school), I grew up not knowing if I would go to heaven until judgement day – when basically my “closet” of sin would gone gone through and measured to determine if I would allowed in. That gave me a very real view of what God would “rummage” through, so I carried that visual image with me. I knew that I couldn’t ever really hide my sin. It does take vigilance to keep our souls straight – and still I fail often and try to love better. However, I also know now that I am saved right now. There’s not a big test coming up. I think maybe I love better because of that. Love your post:)
We definitely can’t hide our sin from God, but I sure try to hide it from others! I’m so grateful for God’s forgiveness and the fact that we can know today that we are saved. I think this knowledge does help us love better.
Great post! Really makes me ponder about what’s hiding within that I don’t want to deal with!
Visiting from #Grace&Truth
It’s important to think through, Julie.