The Closet of Your Heart

The seasons are rapidly shifting as warmer weather continues to make its much-welcomed presence known. 

I love venturing out and about with my mother on those sunny days, especially to places such as Goodwill or Ollie's Bargain Outlet located in Barboursville. 

We recently made the trek to Goodwill--fully invested in the long-awaited search for a new springtime jacket. I had held onto my beloved sherpa for many many years. 

It didn't seem to fit as well as it once did.

I can't even remember exactly when the zipper quit working.

I just knew I was more than ready to toss it in the trash.

The afternoon was a major win; my successful haul for the day included two jackets that we both thought looked as though they were brand new & a long time favorite film that I just had to own on DVD.  

After carrying the items into the house and placing them into their newly designated space in the closet (a space I had only rearranged a week prior to the shopping trip). 

As I was attempting to comb through all of my clothing, it didn't take me long at all to realize that there was still SO much to toss away. It doesn't fit into my life anymore. So why am I choosing to hold onto it? 

This thought leads directly into the message that the Lord placed on my heart for today: 

What is it that you're holding onto within the closet of your heart?

We all have the tendency to hold onto more than we should more often than we should. 

Although your appearance may check out on the surface level, in all reality your heart is an absolute mess that's full of clutter that you've never dealt with because it's easier to stuff it all away where no one else can see it. 

The Lord sees it all, my friend. 

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7)  

• The bitterness that you've held onto for 25 years.
• Those "secret" sins that none of your closest friends know about. 
• Those tough old habits that just won't break.
• The heartache from grief that's kept away with a smile everytime you walk out your front door. 

You may not fall into any of those particularly heavy categories-- maybe it's that your priorities aren't quite where they should be. 

I'm choosing not to list any specific examples because I know you know your heart. That's strictly between you and the Lord.

Spring is rapidly approaching and I hope this will be a season of surrender for whomever reads this. 

Hand it over to Jesus & allow Him the opportunity to clean out the closet of your heart.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139: 23-24)