Jimbo's Jots

Looking around my office, I’m finding stuff in piles and stacks. To me this is “organized”. Others may say differently. However, as I look at the piles and stacks, I have been saying more frequently to myself, “This has got to go!” It probably will not be on a Jesus cleaning the temple courtyard level. You can call it “spring cleaning” or whatever you will, but stuff will be relocated over the next few weeks whether trashed or donated.

I think we all kind of feel that tug. We look around the house, the office, or our car and think this needs a good cleaning. After the pseudo-hibernation of the winter, we feel the urge to clean, sort, and displace.

In my counseling world, often I listen to someone struggle with these kinds of issues. They struggle with emotional clutter. They wrestle with this idea that their head is full of stuff that just seems to weigh them down. Maybe they even border on emotional hoarding. In some cases, this leads to poor coping strategies that produce negative impact.

In John’s gospel, he tells the story of a man who had been sick for 38 years, all of his life. The man had been brought to the pool of Siloam every day. It was believed that when God “stirred the waters”, healing would come to the first in the pool. So, when Jesus comes along, he asks the man a very strange question. “Do you want to get well?” (5:6) For someone who has felt broken, getting “well” is a priority. The man’s response gives us the impression that he is almost insulted that anyone would ask that question. After the healing, Jesus went His way and so did the man. Until later in the day, Jesus challenged him to no longer sin, “clean your spiritual / emotional house”.

Starting this week, we’ll be looking at Psalm 51 in our worship over the next couple of weeks. David is challenged due to some of his failings spiritually. He prays, “Create in me a clean heart!”

I came across this prayer that I think is a great place to start as we clean our spiritual heart. Maybe you’ll find it helpful!

O Lord Jesus Christ,

You who forgave the sins of the paralytic

before you let him walk again,

I pray that I am made more aware of your forgiving presence in my life.

Let me recognize you at that virginal point in the depth of my heart

where you dwell and heal me.

Take away the many fears, suspicions, and doubts

by which I prevent you from being my Lord,

and give me the courage and freedom

to appear naked and vulnerable

in the light of your presence,

confident of your unfathomable mercy.

Be blessed! Be a blessing!!