When I clean, I have been known to be a shover. I shove things in drawers, closets, cabinets, whatever I can do to hide things so my space looks tidy. On the surface, everything appears tidy, but inside those drawers, closets, and cabinets, there’s a mess that still needs to be dealt with.
Being a shover of our mess when it comes to life, is not the way to go either. Because sooner or later, that mess will demand to be addressed. Unaddressed hurts or mistakes can seep into our actions, attitudes, and even relationships, catching us off guard. Often, we don’t realize how much the mess we’ve buried affects the way we respond to others.
For example, when I have made a mistake or been hurt by a situation, instead of dealing with it directly, I tend to shove it down and ignore it. This leads to all kinds of issues. Believe it or not, our mess tends to manifest in ways we don’t even realize.
This mess reared its ugly head when my husband gave me feedback about something. I had an inordinate response that was completely over the top! So why did I have that kind of reaction? What did I shove in the closet of my heart that came out wrong?
In that moment, I realized I needed God’s help to reveal what was hiding beneath the surface. Like David in Psalm 139, I asked God to search my heart and expose what anxious thoughts were lingering there, so He could lead me into healing and wholeness. I prayed a prayer that David prayed, when he said,
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT):
“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.”
I’m still working on the mess I’ve shoved away for some time now, but the Holy Spirit is helping me clean house! While a quick surface tidy might make things look good for a while, only by dealing with the mess underneath can we find true peace and healing. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just help us tidy up—He helps us transform our hearts from the inside out.
We all have those hidden corners of our hearts where we store away pain, fear, or shame, hoping to forget them. But God invites us to bring them into the light, where true healing can take place.
Today, take a moment to pray and ask God to search your heart, just as David did in Psalm 139. What have you been shoving into the closet of your soul? Invite the Holy Spirit to search you and reveal those hidden areas that need healing. Pray, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You.’ Trust Him to help you clean them out and lead you toward lasting healing.
1 thought on “I Choose Today to Tidy Up”
I am so thankful that God knows me better than I know myself. And, He loves me anyway! I do pray that He will continue to work in my heart, revealing the things that He wants me to let go of and that I will just keep looking to Him. Dealing with hidden hurts is HARD! But, being free is worth it! Thank you for this reminder, Molinda!