Have you ever embarked on a spring-cleaning adventure?
I’m not talking about simply dusting, sweeping, and mopping. Instead, I’m referring to the type of cleaning that requires spending multiple days deep in dirt and focused on home organization. The kind of cleaning that involves emptying all closets, switching out winter clothes for summer ones, scrubbing those stubborn baseboards, and even collecting items to either donate or sell.
I never looked forward to the deep cleaning week that came around during my childhood. But the older I’ve gotten and the more I’ve collected, the more I’ve learned that this “season reset” is necessary to keep my home and sanity in order.
With the weather getting warmer, I knew it was time to start this year’s deep clean.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who has this yearly tradition.
According to The American Cleaning Institute, a 2024 survey revealed that 80% of Americans also took some time in the spring to clean their homes more thoroughly. One of the survey questions even asked those polled what they considered to be their most dreaded tasks.
The results discovered that “Americans say that cleaning spaces that are hard to reach or access (49% - think behind or underneath furniture or appliances) and places that are filthy (38% - bathrooms, vents, basements) top the dread list.”
I can’t say I disagree!
It’s a lot of work to clean the top of the refrigerator or try to move the dishwasher and stove to ensure there aren’t any bits of dirt underneath. Yet, there’s one place that I can say is even harder to keep clean, and it doesn’t involve disinfectants or organization skills.
That place I am referring to is none other than one’s own heart.
I’ll be honest; the past few months have been such a mix of emotions for my family. Between the joy of holding a growing baby in my arms, the heartache of losing my second baby via miscarriage, and everything in between, my heart and mind have been at a crossroads. Should I choose joy and Jesus? Or sit and sulk?
However, Scripture reminds me that I am not the only one who has faced these days of heartache and confusion.
In Scripture, King David had more than one instance where he was concerned about the inner workings of his heart. While he was a man of many mistakes, he was also so precious to the Lord and the Lord’s plan for the future of Isreal (and Jesus’s storyline).
In 1 Samuel 13:13-14, Scripture records a time when Isreal was under King Saul’s rule. He had dishonored the Lord and been a selfish ruler. It was time to clean up the nation, and the prophet Samuel had no qualms about letting Saul know the Lord’s new plans.
Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
A few chapters later, Samuel reveals that the prized man that the Lord referred to was David. During his reign, David experienced numerous ups and downs, as well as significant gains and losses. But through it all, he remained focused on the Lord’s will.
Yet, David also knew that his heart was wicked. On more than one occasion, that heart got him into serious trouble. He knew that to stay in tune with the Lord’s plans, he must allow Him to search his heart and reveal the areas of concern.
Psalm 139: 23-24, David writes,
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
David was anxious. He was weary and war-torn. But at the end of the day, he realized that if his heart and plans weren’t aligned with God’s, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill what was needed of him in the grand scheme of his life.
So, he asked the Lord to search the deepest part of his soul.
He wanted everything that was ailing him to be revealed so he could take it to the Lord and leave it with Him. David needed the Lord to know all the anxious thoughts swirling in his brain and to have the Lord heal the hurt so he could continue to honor Him with his life.
You and I face the same situation.
When we become consumed by worry, hurt, and anxiety, we tend to try to fix problems ourselves. But we are called by a higher power! Instead of dealing with these issues alone, we can ask the Lord of the Universe to enter our hearts, reveal every worry, and deeply cleanse the things hindering our walk with Him.
But He won’t necessarily come in and start cleaning up without our permission.
Instead, He is waiting for you to offer up the deepest parts of you – your heart, mind, and thoughts. By praying these verses from Psalm 139 and seeking His will above our own, we can achieve more than just a clean home this spring season and experience the true cleansing of our hearts and minds from the One who created them.
