Decluttering the Inside

By Amy

Isaiah 43:18 “But forget all that–it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”

You may notice lately I've been talking a lot about change and progress. I have been told people tend to write on things based on the season they are in, so there you go. I am writing on progress.

This year has brought out the lioness in me. I'm determined to get the jobs that will change my life finished (and no, I'm not singing Katy Perry). The spring-is-on-the-horizon and I'm-ready-to-shed-all-the-layers vibe is in full force and I find that after all the surface level cleaning is complete my inner storage space has to be decluttered.

I've already begun the process of making change, and my motivation is still strong to continue. I recently told a friend I have claimed this year as my own. Selfish? Perhaps. But if I want to succeed with God's purpose for my life I need to be a little selfish...at least in the beginning.

Now that there is some de-junking and minimizing going on within me I am preparing for the conviction of letting go of the old (and sometimes sentimental) items I've held on to - even if it is hard and emotional. As the proverbial saying goes, "old habits die hard."

While I know it is hard to say goodbye to some of the baggage I've carried for years (some my whole life) I realize that the process is actually easier than I thought.

Take, for instance, the insecurity of what others think of me - this item I've held on to for years. I acquired it in college when dorm life was my normal and friendships were abound. Keeping up with everyone's tastes, dislikes, and trends was exhausting. Going through daily life with twenty to thirty (sometimes more) other people, of different lifestyles, habits and thinking, was hard work. This jungle gym of relationships brought an awareness of how I adopted the habit of pleasing others. Pleasing others connected to wanting acceptance which eventually connected to years of living for others and not myself, and most importantly the Lord. This year I have mulled over this item and realized it not only no longer fits, but it is ugly, spiritually out of style, and can no longer benefit me.

Another item I found equally as unpleasant but much more loathsome was my lack of self-worth - this one I've held on to for decades...since my early teenage years. As I picked it up and looked it over I've realized how nasty it has become. Why would I wear such a thing? Yet, putting it in the trash pile is not as easy as other items have been. There is the part of me that sees reason and the other part of me that says if I just put it in the maybe pile I won't, in reality, need to give it up.

And here I am shaking my head like that will somehow work. It is hard to let go of something you've had for years...right?

Yes, some things are easy to let go of and others we tell ourselves are hard. God, however, tells us to let him have it all. Why? Because He is willing to carry the difficult, hard, and heavy.

Matthew 11:28 tells us, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Yes, there are certain areas of our lives that are not simple decisions, but God is wanting us to, first, give it to Him, so the heaviness and weight are now on Him and not us. Then, the load is much lighter and easier to clean and declutter. Yes, we must do our part and work through the piles but giving Him the hard stuff is something we should be happy to hand over. Let Him take it and put it in the pile it deserves to be in!

All In The Risk

by Amy

Risk was not something I use to believe was good. I don't remember where I heard it from or who I heard say it, but when I heard the word I would immediately think it was bad. Risk is something the world talks about - teaches from a young age, and practices recklessly. As a result, I grew up thinking that taking risks in life was careless and not allowing God to be, well...God. 

Like I said, where I heard this from I don't remember. I can't pin-point who told me it was bad, or even if someone told me at all. It could have been something I interpreted. For all I know, it could have been a word or phrase I heard and decided wasn't for me.

Without saying it out loud, I've gone through the past decade truly believing I shouldn't and couldn't take a risk in any area of my life. God wouldn't be happy with me being so careless. If He is supposed to guide my steps and I am taking a risk, how does that allow Him to be God?

When I finally stopped and listened to the Holy Spirit (and read the Word) I found something completely different. 

Risk involves taking a step of faith. While I've always believed I have faith in many areas of my life, I have never mixed the two together. I thought to take a risk is to turn away from faith. Now I see that faith, in many ways, can be brought to life by taking a risk. If we don't, how will we grow? Remember what I said: growing people change.

The truth is God wants me (us) to step out and use my faith by getting out there and taking action. I am not talking about recklessness. I am talking about going boldly for the things we are passionate about and doing what God talks about in His Word - stepping out in faith and trusting Him. 

In Luke chapter five we saw how Jesus asked Simon to trust Him by taking his boat to deep waters and casting his net. Simon was a fisherman - he knew the seas inside and out. He knew his craft and his skill. He also knew that him and his men had been out all night and had not caught anything. Yet he said, "BUT." He questioned Him for sure, however, he was willing to Trust...and take a risk. What did he have to lose? A little sleep? Maybe. A little time? Sure. But obeying was worth the risk. Trust and faith were worth the risk. 

God loves to use steps when talking about faith. I think it is funny how people use the term "leaps of faith" and yet God never talks about leaps. I believe God is a God of order and He does not expects us to take huge leaps. Do you expect to have a starter position at work and go straight to a VP role within a week (or even months)? Do you expect to be an expert with a skill having just a few hours to practice? Does a tree grow in a night? Does a church grow from fifty to a thousand in a month? We take steps in our lives because God works in steps. To take a leap could be reckless and end up hurting us in the process.

When God created the world He did it in steps. Before Esther approached the King on behalf of a nation she took steps to know him and gain his favor. Noah took his time in building an ark so it would be done with excellence and withstand the fiercest of winds and water. 

Just as we physically grow from child to adult, God is wanting to remind us that to conquer battles, find victory in our finances, marriages, relationships, careers, and skills we must first have peace in knowing the steps are part of the journey. We don't have to know everything - all the details. That is His job. What a relief to know He is working on our behalf! It takes the pressure of us so that we can rest in His presence and know He is with us along the way. 

If I know He has all the details in His hands, I can trust that He will guide me along the way. Maybe the risk lands at a dead end, or maybe it takes off into bigger and greater things. But if God is on my side, who can be against me? What have I to lose?

This year I stepped out in an unexpected area of my life - one that I was willing to keep locked up. This past holiday season the Holy Spirit spoke and stirred within me a fresh insight into my creative life. For years I have loved to paint. Here and there I would create pieces for family and (very few) friends. Through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit and a family member, I decided to take a risk. I enrolled in an art course at the University where I work. It is a baby step, but definitely a step. 

I put my trust in Him and took a step in an area of my life I have never felt worthy. In the past I would constantly seek approval from those who knew of my tiny passion. Rarely did I find inspiration on my own.

Now, after beginning this class, I have found tranquility, peace and a quiet confidence in myself. See, when I go to this class I don't have anyone I know that is with me - no one to turn to for an opinion, advice, or approval. It's all me. Every idea. Every thought. Every moment is my own. There is an escape from the world and I find myself entering the presence of The Most High. Yes, art and Jesus go together. I love it. 

Where it will go, I don't know. What I am confident of is that I was obedient and took a risk that I know now was worth taking. The details are still out there with my future. Praise God that I don't have to worry about it. 

"And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink." Luke 5:4-7