Turn On the Light!

2Ch 29:2-5 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.  And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

Sometimes we just don’t know the right and proper way to do something do we? But our hearts mean well as the desire to serve God is so evident in our daily walk with Him. God understands us more than we understand ourselves. He sees inside the heart and knows when we flounder around trying to be used of Him.

I was cleaning my back two bedrooms getting ready for Sheri and Wyatt to come home and found some pictures I had forgotten were tucked away. While cleaning out each and every drawer, I threw away a garbage bag full of trash, old clothes and books. It was just time to eliminate those items for which I had hung on too long. In the process I found Katie’s guitar and Amelia’s violin. I stopped, sat on the edge of the bed and cried. The memory of the moment was just too much for me. After my pity party, I pulled open a drawer full of cards, candy wrappers, sales slips and Christmas stockings.  Oh me….what is all this? I suppose in our haste to pack up Katie for college last year, we stuffed some trash in a drawer. I began to laugh out loud. Memories can do all kinds of things can’t they? I thought these rooms were in pretty good shape until I did a thorough cleaning.

Hezekiah did a thorough cleaning after Ahaz had left a mess. He was God’s man for God’s time in the lives of a people so confused and messed up that every drawer Hezekiah opened had to be dumped out and taken away. In the middle of cleaning house in Israel, he called for the Feast of the Passover. Amazing! You must read this additional passage of scripture in II Chronicles 29-32.

When we follow God’s pathway, He begins to show us little by little all the nooks and crannies to be cleaned if not totally removed! Don’t be too hard on yourself if sometimes it is overwhelming as you serve God. Take a crying break, wipe your tears and get up to finish the task at hand. Remember, God knows you better than you know yourself. Give Him time to help you focus on one drawer at a time. If your two back bedrooms are totally cleaned and you think you have arrived, then get ready for God’s hunt! He is the expert spring cleaner and He will point out the proud heart.

After vacuuming the rooms I placed the vacuum cleaner in the door way to remind me of one final run later in the week. In my haste of cleaning I forgot I had left the blinds opened and like a bull in a china cabinet I turned the corner to enter one of the rooms without turning on the light. You guessed it! I began to stumble over the cleaner, dancing my way with some pretty good moves if I must say so, catching my fat self before falling.  I didn’t know to laugh or to cry but quickly checked to see if I had eliminated a big toe! Again, don’t be too hasty in getting it all done. Open the Word of God, give yourself some light and take your time. One thing at a time is better than getting in a dead run just so you can mark something off your list! Dump the drawers, keep what is needed, and pat yourself on the back!

Hezekiah was quick to help the people but in the process he took his responsibility as a leader very seriously. He removed all the high places, and then broke the images. Out the door they went. He then cut down the groves. The brazen serpent for which Moses had made had to be eliminated because the people began to worship it. A good thing had turned bad. It will happen every time if we begin to take our eyes off the light of God’s Word. TURN THE LIGHT ON! Stay with the Word of God, eliminating those things not needed in your life. God’s Holy Spirit will show you and just like Hezekiah, you will find yourself getting your house in order for others to enjoy and worship God as well.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Until next time, Lord willing.

Sharon