Clearing Out the Clutter- Our hearts

Happy Wednesday, my friends!  So glad you are back for day three of our 5 day blog Hop of Clearing Out the Clutter.  Feel free to read day one, Our Home, and day two, Our Heads, if you are just joining us.  I also hope you have had a chance to check out some of the other gals writing this week- there is a subject out there for everyone I promise!

Brittney @ Mom's Heart ~ Relaxed Homeschooling
Lisa @ A Rup Life ~ Our Favorite Books
Melissa @ Life Off the Paved Road ~ Fit From Home
Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Educational Apps
Jenni @ Conversaving ~ Homeschool Cooperatives
Lisa @ Home to 4 Kiddos ~ Celebrating Lent
Tawnee @ Adventures in Homeschooling ~ Spring Schooling
Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog ~ Christ Centered Character Training

So today- Clearing Out the Clutter in our hearts.  Not gonna lie- this will be the hardest for me to write, hands down.

Let's face it, the state of our heart affects the state of our life.  It is just that simple.  And that complicated.

If we are harboring fear, we live our lives differently.  Yep, this is one I have struggled with. ( I am pretending with the whole past tense thing)  Fear and worry have always been a struggle for me.  I used to tell friends "why stop, I am so good at it".  When my health went south a few years ago, fear just about consumed me.  Then my body got just as good at reacting as my head did.  It is one thing to talk your head out of something, but it is an entirely different thing to talk your body out of a physical reaction to fear.  Take it from one that has been there- FEAR is clutter that you can do without.  Get to the root of it, deal with it and move on!  God wants better for you.  He HAS better for you.

If we are harboring hurt and anger, we live our lives differently.  Yep, been there too.  Still am, truth be told.  I was hurt by someone that should be on the top of the list to love me most.  Instead they have not spoken to me in almost two years.  The hurt has built up and turned to anger.  Just last week I saw this post from a friend...

On what it means to forgive..."But this is not cheap pardon. There is real loss. In Jesus's parable (Matthew 18), the master was willing to lose the unimaginable amount of ten thousand talents in order to pardon and keep the servant a free man. The master in effect said "I will suffer the loss, I will bear the pain, in order that you can remain a free man in the human community" But his loss was substantial. And lest this be misunderstood as the offer of cheap grace, we must be reminded that at the center of God's offer of pardon stands the cross of Christ...in the parable, the master is not repaid, he simply absorbs the loss. It is only through absorbing the pain of his loss that he is able to offer pardon to the debtor. Indeed, the forgiveness of great wrongs is never cheap but always painful, because someone must bear the loss" -Unconditional by Brian Zahnd...book on radical forgiveness

Timely, don't ya think.  If we do not learn to forgive, let go and move on, HURT and ANGER will clutter our lives.  It is not worth it, my friends.  We have more to do with our time and God has a better plan for our lives.

If we are harboring jealousy, we live our lives differently.  A friend reminded me just this past week that God made us, and every person around us different, for HIS perfect person.  To be jealous of someone else is to say to God, your design is not good enough.  I do not want to even go there, do you?  Remember that God is good, His plans are good and you are awesome just the way you are- push the clutter of jealously right out of your heart.

If we are harboring doubt, we live our lives differently.  Satan is the king of lies.  He uses anything, to include people and circumstances, to plant doubt in our lives.  Don't allow it!  Be strong in your thoughts, decisions and life choices.  They will all be more easily made if you do not allow the clutter of doubt to fill your heart.

Oh, my friends, there are so many others, but do you get the point?  When things like fear, and anger, and jealousy, and doubt clutter our heart,  we often do not have enough left to give.  Instead of giving our heart to others and to God, we are weighed down by the things of the world.

That's not where I want to be.  I want to love life and people and God!  I want them to know they are important.  I want them to see my heart and know how special they are to me.

Let's work to clear the clutter of our heart and allow it to be available to the things that are important!

OK, tomorrow, we are off to a lighter subject -  hope you will join us!!

Blessings,



The COMPLETE series-
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Homes 
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Heads
Clearing Out The Clutter- Our Hearts
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Homeschools
Clearing Out the Clutter- Our Health