Thursday, May 31, 2018

The Inside Places

Submitted by Lara Cook
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Psalm 51:10
 I have to be honest.  If you show up at my house unannounced, I will be happy to see you but likely pretty embarrassed about my “lived in” house.  It’s not filthy, but it’s not company ready until I know company is coming.  Although I will let you in the front door, there are many places I will not let you in, like my closets and drawers, or some cabinets.  These inside places in my life need some attention before I want them on display.  
The inside places in our lives often get neglected because out of sight, out of mindworks. They get shoved to the back of the priority list when no one can see it.  We don’t usually deal with the messy closets and drawers until we can’t stuff another thing inside it and we don’t have a choice.  Our hearts can be another inside place in our life that we close off and don’t want anyone to see.  The deep depths of our heart can become a storage shed for all the undealt with hurt and issues of our lives.  We shove them inside the unseen places and try to forget them.  Out of sight, out of minddoesn’t always work here.  We may be effectively hiding it all away from the world, but it is not really out of our sight and it doesn’t stop the wounds from festering.  We get hurt, we sin and are ashamed and we tuck it all out of sight. We shut the door so no one knows and we work hard to keep everyone out, including God.  But a cluttered heart can make you sick, and can destroy your life and peace.  
Thankfully we have a God that wants our hearts as they are.  Like a good friend or a close family member, He is not turned away by the mess.  He wants all the unseen, hidden pain and clutter. He wants the messy, broken, discarded shards of our lives we have hidden away.  God loves us, no matter what we have hidden in our inside places and He longs to bring light into our hearts.  Let God in to take care of the inside places of your heart.  Only His grace and strength are strong enough to handle our hidden inside places and make us new again.    He knows what needs to be healed and what needs to go.  Give your heart to him today and let Him clean out the deep hidden places!  


Scripture to Claim:
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.  Psalm 51:6

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