“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

 

John 10:10

Typically, May is a very busy month.  Confirmations.  Proms.  Examinations.  Graduations.  Oh, and also garage sales!  In our neighborhood, once May rolls around, you begin to see the lawn signs advertising when and where these rummage sales are going to take place.  Granted, this year is quite a bit different.  A lot of these major Spring events have been cancelled, postponed or will proceed online in some form.  Garage sales have also been rescheduled for summer or fall.

Somehow, though, Spring seems like a natural time for getting rid of clutter.  In the past when lives and lifestyles were more tied to the seasons and weather, it would be time for a thorough cleaning after a long winter.  For us in our times, garden centers open their doors again and Saturday afternoons are reserved for yard work.  And we still call it “spring cleaning.”

Is “spring cleaning” on your agenda this year?  Any old junk that you want to get rid of?  Old dirt that needs to be washed away?  Long-standing useless items that have accumulated for too long?  Forget about your garage for a moment…what about your soul?

They say that Spring is a time of renewal.  As trees that looked dead break into new life and animals that sleep begin to wake up, we can understand why.  Springtime can be a time of renewal for us as well.  A time to revive, to come to life again.

When was the last time you felt “clean”?  Not the clean that comes from hand sanitizers and 20 seconds of scrubbing with soap and water, but “clean” on the inside?  That clean feeling that comes from knowing that things are right with your spouse and your children?  That you are right with God?  Just like our houses, it’s difficult to put more and more stuff inside of us when there is too much junk in the “house” already.  Too much guilt, sadness, anger and hurt.  Like that Fondue Set from 1976, these things have to go.

But, how do we get rid of all of it?  What do we do with all the accumulated guilt and anger of years gone by?  It seems that you can always find someone who is willing to buy the hubcaps from your old high school car, but no one wants the personal stuff we have been dealing with over the years.  To bring this stuff out from the attic of our souls only seems to cause more pain.  “Maybe it’s better to just leave it alone,” we reason.  Cover it up.  Forget about it.  The only problem?  A soul, like an attic, only holds so much.

There is someone who wants to ‘buy’ the guilt, the hurt, the anger and the pain.  His name is Jesus and He tells us:  “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”  Not a life full of guilt and hurt and anger but a life full of peace and hope and joy.  Use these difficult times to open up your Bible and get to know Jesus all over again.  He’s there in His word to revive and refresh you through His grace and forgiveness.  The dusty garage can wait.  Your soul can’t.