3 Steps to Taming Closet Gremlins

What is it about closets? You clean them out, organize them neatly but turn your back on them and they’ll be in disarray once again.  I’m pretty certain there are gremlins living in mine. Sometimes they make such a mess that I can’t find what I want to wear, so I settle for what I can easily grab. Other times I’m digging for something only to discover a treasure I’d forgotten I had. I’m not even certain how all of the things in my closet have gotten there. It must be the gremlins again.

I can’t be the only one who suffers from this infestation. Entire businesses are dedicated to closet management. While their accessories and furniture are beautiful, I don’t need to spend money to tame my closet gremlins. What I need is intentionality.

It takes daily, ongoing deliberateness to keep my closet, and hence what I wear, organized. I have to regularly get rid of the things I no longer want. If I don’t or shouldn’t wear it, I need to remove it. Before I put anything into my closet, I have to be certain it is something I truly want there. If it is, then I need find a place for it where it can be readily accessed.      

Like closets, our hearts and minds can be in disarray. Tossing things in willy-nilly or hiding junk in them from others only leads to a mess. If we aren’t diligent about what we keep there we can easily put on the wrong type of psychological garment. But there is help. All closet gremlins can be restrained with a solid closet management system.  

1.      Clean out the junk regularly- As you go through the day, think about what it is you are thinking in your heart. Is the negative attitude worth keeping? Is the spirit of unforgiveness really what you want to wear? If you’re unsure if it’s worth keeping, ask. The Holy Spirit will respond.

“For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”(Luke 6:45b)

2.      Only put in things worth keeping- In fashion there are standards as to what makes something tasteful and flattering. In the spiritual life, the Bible is our standard. It doesn’t matter if Stacy and Clinton say it looks good.  If it isn’t something Jesus would wear, don’t let it in.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Phil. 4:8)

3.      Arrange things to be readily accessible- Have you ever found it hard to believe you said something you did? When in a hurry to get dressed, just as when we are in an emotional rush or under pressure, we don’t have time to search for what we want. What we put on is what is easiest to reach. The more purity that enters your closet, the more certain you can be that whatever you pull out will reflect who it is you want to be in Christ.

 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”(Col. 3:14)

Message for the Journey:

Closets rarely become a mess overnight. The same is true with our innermost being. If we aren’t careful, the gremlins of poor attitude and foul language, along with their many friends can take up residence and make a mess of things. But they can be kept under control with a holy closet management approach. Be intentional, be in the moment and be in tune with what it is you want to reflect to the world by what you put on. Closet doors can be used to hide the things inside from others, but God sees it all.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                           ©Ann Wilds

What's Growing in Your Garden?

"Every seed will produce more of its own kind." Genesis 1:11b

Seeds and plants need nutrients in order to grow. Whether it is a vegetable, flower or bush, to mature all require water, sun and food to develop. What differs between plants is just how much they need to prosper.   

The yard at our prior home consisted of a rich, healthy soil. Anything we put in the ground grew well. Yet, my hybrid tea roses still needed additives to reach perfection. The soil at our current home is heavy with clay so it takes a low maintenance plant to survive. When we first planted a garden we had to add a special soil mixture to the bed to help nurture the developing seeds.

Weeds, however, can grow just about anywhere. Though unwanted they find a way to establish themselves in even the most inhospitable conditions. They have even been known to grow through concrete. Unlike other plants, the weed needs little to thrive.

What is true for the plant world is true for human emotions and, in turn, thoughts and behaviors. Only those that receive nourishment grow. However, the less desirable ones thrive readily like the weeds where the more desirable ones—like my roses—require great attention and care to flourish.   

Negative emotions—those like anger, impatience, fear, and doubt—begin with  hardy seeds that grow quickly any time and any where they are given an opportunity. Healthy emotions—like forgiveness, patience, kindness, and confidence—require more diligence from the gardener to become established and prosper.

The best way to tend our mental and emotional garden is through the application of a combination weed and feed fertilizer. God has provided us with a tool perfect for this. Scripture has both the power to kill the weeds of unhealthy thoughts and to feed desirable ones. When we apply it regularly to our lives, meditating on it often, we gain a bountiful harvest from our garden. But when we fail to use it, we often end up with nothing more than a bed of weeds.

Message for the Journey:

The seed that is nourished is the one that grows. Be it a seed of doubt or a seed of faith, a seed of fear or a seed of courage, a seed of aggression or a seed of peace, whichever one is fed is the one that reproduces in our lives.

                                                                                                       ©Ann Wilds

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

 Phil. 4:8