Cleaning House
Cleaning house is a common theme of my life. Not only have I moved numerous times throughout my life, but many times over I have had to wipe the slate clean and start again. It’s not as brutal as it sounds, but simply consists of taking stock and eliminating things which weigh me down. This applies both to material possessions as well as emotional baggage. Sometimes it comes in the form of unhealthy habits and relationships, but more times than not it’s just excess that has piled on over time and is in need of thinning out.
I find myself entering such a season now. In time I have found myself overwrought with stress brought on by those things I’ve relegated to dusty corners, where I’ve pushed all the things I procrastinated in eliminating or maintaining properly. I know most people tend to focus on dealing with those things in the spring, but for me, it’s about time for a bit of “fall cleaning”. This process can be painful, but always beneficial. I rarely long for the things I’ve released, though I may think back on them often to note the good that came from letting go.
Even the things you love may only be in your life for a season. There are many wonderful people who came into my life at a time when I needed them, or they needed me, and we grew together or learned something important. The same goes for all the places I’ve visited and lived. I measure most of my life by which home I was in and all that transpired during that time. Even when it’s time to move on I have been thankful for those experiences and continue to cherish the good memories and lessons learned.
Leaving San Diego was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to come to. For so many years it had been my dream to move there, as well as my husband’s. I definitely count it as our grandest adventure to date, as we did not waste a moment of our time there. We came, we saw, we did…everything we could possibly imagine and then some! Eventually we both felt the tug back to Michigan, and though it wasn’t something we raced to do, everything pointed to this being the right move, from relationships to open doors. Therefore, I found peace in knowing this is exactly where we should be at this time. But wait, there’s more! This is only the first step in our next grand adventure and I can’t help but be excited to see what happens next. In the meantime, my job is to make sure I’m ready when the next door opens, so I’ll pick up my broom and continue to clear the way for what God wants to do next in our lives. One thing for sure, it won’t be boring!
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” -James 4:13-15
