Cobwebs
Cobwebs
I am sitting on the hill in my favorite place. Hummingbirds flitting around fattening up for their long trek south. The horses slowly graze in the pasture. Taking a deep breath I ask God to clear my thoughts, emotions.
My thoughts are running as if they were in the “running of the bulls” in Mexico. So many things to do. Many are interesting and yet many are mundane and time consuming. We can get consumed with the to-dos, the musts, and the “what ifs so much so that we get stuck, overwhelmed, then stagnant: “deer in the headlights” as it were.
I asked God to clear the deck and get to my heart. I stop cold.
I look on the website to see how often I’ve published articles about a clean heart – every two years including January of 2019. More often may be a good plan. The scripture that comes to mind is:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10 New International Version (NIV)
Clean my heart, mind, and soul of the things that distract me Lord of Your Will in this world for me. Not my neighbor or someone down the street but for me. Sometimes my response is “I need to do this or that” but God You say: “Clean the cobwebs out of your heart.” There is no room there with all the clutter of “to-dos” and “musts.”
There are cobwebs. They stay in the corners of my heart with the label on some of them – “hope to” or “if I had time.” They have been there so long that the spiders building those cobwebs are third and fourth generation comfortably living there.
There are things in our hearts with only one purpose: to distract us. These spiders have their own village in our heart. It isn’t that all these things are bad or wrong. Although, sometimes, we have the crew deep in our hearts that have created an outpost for guilt and shame. That crew seems to jump in just as we’re about to venture out of our comfort zone to do something new or intimidating. But for the most part they are patient and wait for the right moment.
“Calm our spirit and heart down Lord and let us hear your voice in the midst of the clatter,” I pray.
It’s time to open the windows and sweep out the cobwebs and allow the Holy Spirit to breathe a strong breath of fresh air into our lungs and hearts. Let the windows of our souls open and clear out the old stale air and rest our hearts in the sunshine of God. In Proverbs God encourages us with:
“My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways,”
Proverbs 23:26 New International Version (NIV)
When we open our hearts for cleaning, we invite the Holy Spirit into ALL the places in our heart. The secret places where the cobwebs become fortresses is where most freedom can come. When we surrender those strongholds to the Holy Spirit we gain strength, freedom, and a new perspective. Guilt and shame lose their hold on our hearts and we have the power to depend on God and His purposes in our lives. The book of Romans describes this process:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 English Standard Version (ESV)
We no longer have to be a slave to our to-dos or what ifs but are free to stop, rest, and listen to our Heavenly Father. We can focus on His direction and approval instead of needing to prove ourselves to us or anyone else. There is power in clearing the lists of “hope to” and “if we had time we would.” When we surrender all areas of our heart for clearing and cleaning out the cobwebs we give way to the Holy Spirit to bring a new perspective to our daily lives. We see through His eyes. Our vision gains clarity, our focus becomes tried and true. We understand that when we pray in accordance with His “will” we will have all we need to fulfill His plan for our lives. We will have the tools and resources already built into our mind, body, and soul to accomplish His plan and much more.
We no longer will be limited to what we think we can accomplish but find we have more than enough to accomplish more than what we can wish, dream or desire. With God’s vision, strength, grace, and power.
The “to do” and “if I had time” list often gets reprioritized. What we thought we “had” to do gains its proper place on the list and loses its power to overwhelm or create guilt. We make time for the things God brings to remembrance with excitement and the ability to have the time to do them. We see things differently and find excitement and passion to embark on some of the most exciting journeys. We allow ourselves to look outside the tasks to a picture much bigger than we would think possible. It is spectacularly empowering to have a house or heart cleaning led by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not afraid of the cobwebs or the spiders that dwell within. With our willingness to have Him clean all the corners of our hearts we will find healing, wholeness, peace, and power in our lives.
We have the power to be free of fear and condemnation because we are no longer slaves but servants; co-workers with Christ about our Fathers business.
Today can you open your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to come through and clean the cobwebs from your heart?
