A Little Closet Cleaning Never Hurts Anyone...

This was something I tweeted on December 17th:
"Sometimes we have to clean out the closet of our heart to allow more good things inside"

I have been chewing on this little statement for a while and felt that it needed more than 140 characters. I do love Twitter, I must confess, but I wanted to share more when it came to this. Cleaning out our closet is not just about confession, although that seems to be the first thing we think of.

I don't have a huge closet at home, thank God. That regulates my shopping. And I find myself cleaning it out a couple times each year. Sometimes, I find things that I just don't wear anymore, because of various reasons (they don't fit, they are dated, they look too much like something I already had) and I make a choice to part with them. I make that choice to eliminate clutter, and to make room for something better.

I believe that our hearts need much the same. We hold on to things sometimes that we have absolutely NO reason to. And IF we just let go, I think we would all be made better. We would have much more room to accept, enjoy, make peace and live life joyfully with the items we CHOOSE to hold on to. We would give our "closet" (our heart) room to hold more, and store things that mean the most to us, instead of housing items that take up unnecessary room and are not needed or utilized.

And you know what I have learned from cleaning out my closet? I have learned to be wise with what I choose to put in there from now on. I choose more carefully now what I let in, and I guard and care for what is in there.

I did some closet cleaning this year in my heart. It freed me up to love with more conviction and intent, it gave me more peace than I had before, and it opened my eyes to the things I really needed. Sure, it was hard to part with a few things, but in the end, I didn't really need them anyway.

Will you clean out your closet? Will you allow yourself to part with things that clutter your life and make room for the things you need the most?

35 Candles...

In honor of my (ahem) 35th Birthday, I decided to make a list of items that are "candles" in my life, points of light that burn bright in my heart and life, whether it be a friendship, good cup of coffee, or a defining moment forever living in my memory. So, here goes, and of course, they are not in order of importance. WARNING: some will be very poignant and some of them may be ultra shallow...but still, they have made me happy or given me joy in some way.

1. Leading Worship at Hopepark and offering that gift up.

2. Making my Momma pee in her pants.

3. Going to the register only to find that the clearance is an additional 25% off.

4. Kneeling in front of someone and fitting them with a new pair of shoes for Soles4Souls

5. Meeting my soulmate someday.

6. Being around the house when the Today Show comes on and being able to hear the theme song and watch the opening credits.

7. Making a baby smile.

8. Getting random texts or letters from people in my life, near and far. It's like a butterfly kiss.

9. Dreaming about my future and what my story is left to be.

10. A great cup of coffee from Starbucks.

11. Hearing my friend Tami laugh.

12. Hot Wings...VERY HOT WINGS.

13. Looking back and seeing how something difficult in my life has made me grow....

14. Days when my Bible Study is a DIRECT correlation to my present circumstance. When God does that, I am always floored.

15. People who humbly share their story with authentic passion.

16. Paxville, SC Sunsets

17. A letter from Leigh-Ann McCune that she wrote to me when she was a teenager.

18. When my furbabies snuggle with me when it's cold.

19. My true-blue friendships

20. A really good pair of jeans (True Religion)

21. Serving in Shoe Distributions side by side with Wayne

22. The Zodiacs

23. The smell in the air when fall is just around the corner.

24. The first time I hear a really great song.

25. How I feel after I have served another person...the absolute best.

26. My Mom's Chicken Tenders, Gravy and Cabbage

27. Nude Lip Gloss

28. High Heels

29. Magazines

30. Finishing Well.

31. Singing "Jesus Never Fails" every night of the Truth Farewell Tour

32. Seeing someone I love happy

33. Chicken McNuggets

34. Having Peace.

35. Anticipating what is yet to be...

Under Construction

Sometimes we have those "lamp" moments. It is as if someone pulled the switch and we can "see", you know? Today, I had yet another as my friend shared this amazing quote with me:


"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building up a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself."

C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity


What do I say in response to this? I have always loved the thought of a sweet little cottage, but if I can be a palace....well, alrighty then.