When the roof of a friend’s car was badly dented in a well forecasted hail storm, I asked, “Didn’t you know the storm was coming?” “Oh, yes, we knew,” they replied. “Well then, why didn’t you put the car in the garage?” “We couldn’t. There’s not enough room in there for the car.
If you are like my friends, one of those people who park their cars in the driveway because there is so much stuff in the garage that the car no longer fits inside, I have good news for you. Begin packing all that stuff and plan now to attend the annual Peach Tree 23 Yard Sale held on the first weekend in June. This has to be one of the most amazing yard sales in the world spanning forty-four miles (that’s right, 44 miles!) from Batesburg-Leesville to Modoc, South Carolina along SC Hwy 23. http://www.peachtree23.com/
Interestingly, as this year’s Peach Tree 23 Yard Sale was gearing up for the weekend, a book titled, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Maria Kondo, has reached number one bestselling status. I was fascinated by some of the “magic” my daughter and members of her book club discovered while reading about decluttering and, not that I need it, she sent me a copy. http://amzn.to/1JwhFpO
While reading the book (which offers a fabulous solution to the dilemma of keeping socks under control) my friend’s overstuffed garage and hail damaged car came to mind, along with something I once heard Dr. David Jeremiah say.
Gradually, our hearts can become so full of other things that there is scarcely room for God anymore. Then one day, like cars parked in the driveway, in front of chock-a-block garages, Jesus is relegated to the back porch of our lives to stand on the outside looking in, knocking and trying to get our attention. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in…” Revelation 3
Look around! Has your life become so cluttered with other stuff that there is no longer room in your heart for Jesus to enter and spend time with you? It might be time to clear the clutter and get rid of whatever is keeping Jesus outside of your life looking in. Begin now to clear a place of shelter and peace from the storms of life that, unlike damaging hail storms, can come with no warning.
As Dr. Jeremiah encourages, “Make it a daily goal to expand the room in your heart until Jesus occupies it all.”
“…love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
