Spiritual

Making Room

It’s that time of year…Spring cleaning and if you’re like me, your closet is bulging with all kinds of “treasures.” Let’s face it, we hang on to things for far too long; that outfit we paid way too much for that we just know we will fit into again one day, that pair of shoes that were our favorite but now hurt our feet (hello aging?), that handbag that someone special gave us but we haven’t carried it for years. For some of us, our closets are a true “time capsule” and too much of anything is not a good thing. Just walking in our closets or opening a drawer to find something we need when things are cluttered can cause us to feel anxious and stressed out.

The trend today focuses on decluttering, making room for those things that are current, those items that we wear now and use regularly. We all need to make room in our closets, drawers, cabinets and rid ourselves of the things that no longer serve us. We need to simplify, remove, reduce, declutter.

The same can be said of our lives in general. We hold on to thoughts, feelings, attitudes that no longer fit or serve us well. We hang on to people, places and things that no longer work. And many of those cause us anxiety and stress. We need to release, refresh and make room for new.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, the Bible speaks about there being a time for everything. Verse 6 says there is “a time to keep and a time to cast away.” There is a time to get rid of what we no longer use or need. God knew it would be good for us to make room.

“When we make room and give, we open the doors for new blessings to flow in.

Symbolically, decluttering and making room, Spring Cleaning, is good for our souls. We can share what we no longer use or need with those who have less by donating our unused items. This too is good for our souls. It is healing to know that what you no longer need can become a God-send for someone in need.

When we make room and give, we open the doors for new blessings to flow in. We were meant to be a river, not a reservoir so when we release, we make room for new and exciting things. Perhaps it’s not a closet or drawer declutter that we are most in need of? Perhaps it is a soul declutter, releasing and letting go so new can come in and fill us. Spring itself is a symbol of this very thing. The trees have shed the old to make room for the new! The flowers released their seed so they can bring forth fresh new buds that will blossom into beautiful flowers!

In Isaiah 43:19, we read, “behold, I am doing a new thing. Do you not recognize it?” It’s hard to “behold” the new thing when we are clinging to the old.

So… are you ready to make room? Are you ready to declutter and destress? Are you ready for the flow of the new things that are coming? Me too! Now, I’ve got to go make room in my own closet! Happy Spring, everyone!

DANA DAVIN-WARD is a resident of Conway and is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Harbor Home for Women, a Christ-centered, faith-based restoration home for women coming out of the darkness of addiction and destructive lifestyles. Her passion is loving and encouraging all people to embrace the life they have been given and live each day to the fullest.