by Dawn Smiling
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud if witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”
Hebrews 12:1
I finally did it. I spent my 4th of July weekend clearing out the clutter. What an experience. One bag turned into 5 bags. Why do I hold on to everything? It took about 5 to 6 hours to go through my stuff. A chore that could have been completed in at least 2 hours took much longer. I sat down and started going down memory lane. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I began to examine myself. I cleaned out the clutter, but what about the things taking residence on the inside of me that needs cleaning. As women, we easily hide the clutter. The same way we keep putting stuff in the closet can be the same way we tuck things away in our minds. We often hide things in the crevices of our souls where it is hidden from our friends and family. It is amazing that God sees the hidden things. God sees the things we submerge in our subconscious mind. God can see the things we choose not to talk about or think about.
Letting go liberates you from your past. It empowers you to embrace the adventures God has prepared for you.
Letting go of past regrets reassures you that you are not your past. As women, of God, you have options, choices and new experiences in God. You are not who people say you are. You are who God ordained you to be.
Letting go of bitterness enables you to let go of a grudge before the grudge takes hold of you.
Letting go of trying to change people will enable you to accept that God is the only one who can change someone’s life. Instead of trying to change them, be a mentor in their life, pray for them and allow them to be who they are, believing that God will handle it in His time.
Letting go of thoughts that are not productive will prevent you from changing your world.
When you let go of the clutter in your mind, you open a door of limitless possibilities. This is when God can show you things you never experienced before and bring new people who belong in your life. When you finally release your grasp and clear out the old, there is room for the new to flow into your life.
I still have one more closet to go through. But I am determined to go through that closet and my soul in order to remain open to receive all my pre-ordained blessings from heaven. The book of Jeremiah says “I know the plans I have for you”. I don’t want to miss what God has for me because the clutter was blocking my view. This is when I will truly be living God’s plan for my life.
Do you have stuff you need to let go of?
Dawn Smiling enjoys volunteering at Grace Family Church as a prayer counselor, part of the soul care ministry, and as a table leader for Beautiful Monday Nights.