Are you desperate to declutter your life but too overwhelmed to start? Maybe it’s time you took spring cleaning to the next level.
It’s almost springtime! Which means you’re probably getting the itch to “spring clean”—or feeling guilty because you haven’t.
People all over are cleaning out closets, washing baseboards, and organizing pantries. The minimalist movement has intensified our urge to declutter. We’re bound and determined to give ourselves room to breathe, create, and simply be. It’s a great thing, really, and certainly helpful. Less really is more.
But while we vacuum under furniture, flip mattresses, and rearrange junk drawers—are we forgetting to take inventory on our souls? Which is more important: having a clean home or a clean heart? An organized closet or an organized mind? Here’s the deal. Spring cleaning isn’t just about removing the mess, but renewing our minds.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23
Here are 5 tips for spring cleaning your spiritual life:
1. Remove
When something is harmful in our lives, like mold or sin, we should work hard to get rid of it. We must stop the negative chatter, toss our stubborn pride, and refuse to salvage pain from the past.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32
2. Replace
Out with the old; in with the new! But how? As God rescues us from toxic addictions, habits, relationships, or even legalism, we must give Him permission to completely reconstruct our perspectives.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
3. Revive
What buried treasure needs to be dusted off and brought out for everyone to see? What’s hiding in the darkness that should shining be in the light? Revive what was meant to be redeemed.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:15-16
4. Refresh
Whether it’s your marriage, a friendship, or even a work relationship, we all need second chances from time to time. Who needs to hear that you’re sorry? Who needs to know you forgive them? It’s time to refresh what you want to thrive.
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13
5. Restore
You are never too bad or too far for God to turn your ashes into something magnificent. It’s what He does; it’s who He is. If your life is currently in need of desperate restoration, I encourage you to pray these simple yet powerful words:
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
