Mrs. Clean, Mrs. Clean

^“13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  James 5:13-16 (NIV)

It’s Spring in Louisiana! I love it! The azaleas, roses and oleanders are in full bloom in my yard, and I just potted hydrangeas, geraniums and daisies at the Laminin House.  There is just something about fresh flowers that can literally brighten my day.  If I could just figure out how to keep my favorite flowers, tulips, blooming all year long! Well, maybe that’s one reason why these fresh, soft, bright, living flowers become special to me—because they come out only once a year.  It’s something I look forward to after weeks of cold, dead, lifeless, bare branches and lawn.  But with these beautiful beginnings of new life also brings allergies.  Yes, we know them well.  The medical industry can’t wait for spring, right?  How many of us are taking a daily allergy pill as you’re reading this?  Spring is also a time when we feel the need to clean out.  Maybe it’s because we’ve found new energy or maybe it’s because the sunlight that was absent for so long is now shining brightly on all the dust and clutter we’ve been avoiding.  Whatever the reason, I know I feel so much better when I’ve cleaned out, thrown away, and organized my necessities. 

It usually starts with my purse.  Why does everything in my life seem to end up in there anyway?  And how has a man avoided carrying one all these centuries!?  During a women’s conference a few years ago, the speaker said, “Show me what’s in your purse, and you’ll reveal your life.”  Whoa. Deep. When I pick up my purse and feel the weight and think, “What in the world is in here?”, I know it’s time to clean out.  But how do I start? Ok, I’m about to be completely transparent here.  It’s scary, intimidating and you might not like me anymore.  However, I’m taking a chance on you and sharing my deepest, darkest, most personal parts of myself.  These are the contents of my purse…

Well, you’re still here, so that’s a good sign.  It’s kind of embarrassing!  And after I finish writing this, I’m going to sort, throw away, put away and organize before placing the necessities back in there.  I always feel so much better when I know where to find exactly what I need exactly when I need it, and it's not so heavy to carry around every day.

Isn’t that what we need to do in our lives?  Of course it is, but it’s a bit harder to do than cleaning out our purse.  The first step is to reveal it.  It may be embarrassing.  It may even be shameful.  Find someone you trust and take this first step.  What about the person you just thought about?  Is the devil trying to talk you out of it?  Don’t listen.  Take the chance on that person.  Chances are they have something they need to reveal as well.  Shining a light on the problem tells the devil that he will not win this battle, that you are ready to fight him and take him out.  You are ready to be healed!

These women right here are a few of my fellow soldiers.  They know me.  They support me, challenge me, cry with me and pray with me.  They get me.  They’ve seen my purse!

Confession is good for the soul.  The Bible tells me so.  Pray. Trust. Reveal.

Have a fresh and clean week!