Purge: Comes from Latin word purgare, meaning “purify”
1) Rid (someone or something) of an
unwanted quality, condition, or feeling;
2) Atone for or wipe out

Purging- it was long overdue in my tiny 1100 sq. ft. apartment shared by 3. In the process of purging my home, God spoke to me. He’s funny like that, speaking to me in the most unexpected ways and seemingly ordinary tasks. But before I start talking about that, let me back up a bit.

You can’t always tell from looking at my apartment, but purging is something I take delight in. I love how free I feel after getting rid of things that no longer serve me. My love for purging began sometime between 2014 and 2016 – I moved 4 times in 2 short, seemingly long years. I took inventory and determined what was worth taking along and what I needed to let go. Purging was a key strategy to make moving easier.

Being in a stable home for the past 3 years, my kids and I slowly began collecting unnecessary stuff. It grew slowly enough that I was mildly unaware of the accumulation, but enough that I could feel the chaos it created in my home. In this newfound stability, I became complacent and lost my motivation to purge, though the need was very much still there.

I found myself frustrated with the way my home looked and how I felt while in it. The negative thoughts crept in – “gremlins” as my life coach friend calls them:

I’m terrible at housekeeping. Maybe if I was more disciplined, my house wouldn’t look like this. I’m so disorganized. I’m such a mess. Why can’t I be more like that organized person on Instagram?

I share these real, unfiltered and honest thoughts because I know I’m not the only one who has these at times. If you can relate, I want you to know you aren’t alone.

Most importantly, I want you to know those thoughts aren’t true.

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It finally occurred to me the chaos I was feeling in my home was due to the accumulation of unnecessary stuff. I was fed up. So, the purging began.

After a few hours of work, I had two full bags of trash and 2 clean rooms. Oh, the satisfaction! Since then, I’ve also purged other areas of my home. The more unnecessary stuff I got rid of, the better the flow became in our home. It’s a lot of work – dust, dirt, dumpster visits – but it’s so worth it.

Now, imagine how you will feel when you open the doors of your soul, allowing me to purge from your spirit that which is not serving you.

God’s whispers are unmistakable to me. A welcomed melody that soothes my restless spirit.

I’m here to help you purge from your heart and spirit that which no longer serves you. Perhaps at some point it seemed necessary, but now it’s time we make room for better things.

He is always spot on.

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So many people are talking about personal development nowadays, so I’m certain I am not alone in this journey of trying to grow and heal and “live my best life”. I have been going to counseling/therapy for several years now and it’s helped me tremendously. Lately though, I felt like my progression had plateaued. I began to feel like I just couldn’t get myself together. A mess.

Cue “gremlins”:

Maybe if I was more disciplined, I wouldn’t feel like this. Maybe this is as good as it gets for me. I won’t escape the effects of the trauma. It’s my own fault I feel this way. Maybe this is just who I am and there’s no hope for change. Something is wrong with me. I’m a mess.  

Dear friend, if you can relate, I want you to know you aren’t alone. I want you to know that someone who has felt the weight of hopelessness, has found hope in something – some ONE.

Noticing I had hit a roadblock, my counselor asked me if there were areas in my life that I had not been praying over. Areas I was not invited God into. *eek*  

I’m not proud to admit that I had not been praying faithfully over my healing journey. My willingness to invite God in and receive his help had begun to diminish. Without even realizing it, I was trying to do things on my own. The lack of movement on my healing journey was a natural consequence of closing myself off from receiving God’s help.

In our culture, it’s so easy to fall into the idea that if we just read one more self-help book, follow more motivational people on social media, utilize more life hacks, incorporate more self-care, etc. that our life will be radically transformed. Don’t get me wrong, each of those things have their place in life, BUT they are not the ultimate source of radical transformation, healing, and growth. JESUS is. He will cleanse our spirits and renew our minds. We just need to position ourselves to receive it.

We can only make it so far in life without God. When we are no longer focused on Him, the lies we tell ourselves can become so loud we began to believe them. When I try to do it on my own, my heart and spirit are not positioned in a way to receive God’s direction or hear the truth of what HE says about me.

Full of unending love and grace, God kept knocking, waiting for me to open the door, to invite Him in, and allow Him to purge the old and accept the new things He had for me – Redemption. Peace. Healing. Wholeness.

The beautiful truth of this is: You may have a closed door, but you can make the choice today to open the door and invite Jesus in. He will bring peace and order in the chaos. He will redeem you, heal you, and to make you whole in Him. He has not stopped pursuing you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NLT)

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Reflection Scriptures

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Isaiah 43:18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.