Spring Cleaning

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. (Matthew 23:25-26)

Many Christians in the West celebrate the season of Lent, which is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. It is meant to be a time of prayer, repentance, simple living, and self-denial to prepare ourselves for Easter. Ash Wednesday was 2 March this year, and there is still time to treat Lent like spring cleaning:

Clean things you don't ordinarily clean
Spring cleaning often includes things we may not ordinarily touch: the outside of windows, curtains and blinds, baseboards...

• Have things crept in (or out!) of your eating, exercise, entertainment, prayer, Bible reading, and relationship habits that need to be addressed?

Clean things you can't see
This can include rubbish under furniture and behind appliances, dust accumulated at the top of ceiling fans...

• Check in with your spouse, your child, or your friend and see if you need to ask for forgiveness for anything you've done or haven't done.

• If you've been angry or sad and you don't really know what is causing it, ask a friend for some time so you can process with them and pray about it.

Clean out piled up junk
This can include clothes and items in the kitchen or garage that can be thrown away or donated...

• How much clutter and anxiety has built up in your schedule that continues to steal life from you and others, and how is God leading you to establish better rhythms for rest and recreation?

• Do you continue to spend money on things that don't give life?

Let's enter the season of Easter with clean bodies, minds, and hearts!