My resolution

At least once a year I go through all of my clothes, bags, shoes, etc. and clean out my closets and drawers. Usually this bag goes to Goodwill or something like that, which is really awesome when you're trying to stuff a garbage bag as big as you are into an overflowing bin... oh yeah, the opening is usually over my head. That would be fine if I didn't have the strength of a 7 year old. Fun stuff. I digress.

This cleaning process made me think a little about the idea of cleaning up life. It's the beginning of the year, and almost everyone thinks they have to have a resolution. Apparently this leads to enlightenment or joy or something. I can bet that at least 75% of the lists include something about health, organization, and/or money. I can see the benefits in those things. There's nothing wrong with that if there aren't impure motives, I guess. We need to clean things out every once in a while.

As I was cleaning out my closet, I was thinking about how this relates to my life and my relationship with Jesus Christ. What would He clean out of my life? How does he clean things out? What one major thing haunts me and hinders my becoming more like Christ? It's so amazing that 2000 years ago the burden of sin was taken away from me. However, as you probably have figured out, that doesn't mean that all problems are gone. Nor is the act of sinning gone. One verse that kept coming to my mind was Philippians 3:13-14. I'll start with 13b. "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I have problems with letting go of past sin. Cleaning it out, if you will. I despair over it. I let it live inside me and breed doubt and complacency. In the face of these sins I tend to forget who saved me. I forget in whose image I am made. I forget that Christ has overcome death and sin. Joel and I recently talked about the effects of reminding others about the gospel. So, friends, my resolution is to clean things out. I will try to remind myself and others of the gospel. I will put my sins behind me, push away despair, and "press on toward the goal."

Maybe adding health to the list wouldn't be such a bad idea either :)