Heart Clutter

Matthew 6:19-21

         Before reading these words follow your eyes back to the top of the page, ask God to open the eyes of your heart, and read Matthew 6 again. Why did Christ say these words? Perhaps not only because he knew of the emptiness of giving our heart to the things of this world but because he knows what it is to give your whole heart to the Lord and what that will mean for eternity.

      

        

         Last night my water heat broke. I didn`t even know except for my neighbor underneath me knocking on the door to know what may be leaking into her house. And there we found it the water heater had broken and my entire closet was filled with water. We quickly moved everything out of the closet and over the phone my dad helped me to shut off the water and breaker and then we waited for what was next. It sounds so trivial even writing these words but in those moments for one brief moment I had a flood of worry hit my mind and I didn`t expect it. What if everything in that closet had been ruined? Better yet what if the place caught fire and I lost all of my things? My treasures here on earth. The trash sculptures my precious Melody made me and I carried back on a 20 hour flight from Zambia, only to find out two months later she died en route to the hospital. Those trash sculptures are all I have left of her along with pictures taken the day we met. The handmade linens of Fritzi`s that she gave me to use and to remember her with always. The piece of flint that I brought back from the tip of the Swiss Alps during one of the most life-changing summers of my life in Adelboden. My bookshelf. Oh how I treasure my books. My Granny`s dishes and some of her handmade linens. Or most importantly several of her very old Bibles with her handwriting spread throughout. Oh how I treasure those scriptures.

        3 years ago after experiencing the bush and slums of Zambia I came home and gave away more stuff than I knew I had to begin with. I gave someone my mattress or moved it somewhere so I could sleep on the floor again. I was so afraid to lose what I had learned there. To lose the beauty of those experiences and the joy those people have in Jesus ALONE. And last night I feared I had lost it. 

       These are simply the rantings of a heart that is broken over Matthew 6:19-21. May I never give my heart to the things of this world more than to the God who created it all. I want my time with him daily to be the most important and most forefront part of who I am because without him all this other stuff is clutter. It simply gets in the way and distracts me from what matters most- knowing him. What would it be like to enter into heaven only thinking about all of the things I left behind? It would be a tragedy. Heaven will be perfect unity with God himself. There will be no desire or room within any part of my heart that missing anything. Perfect and holy satisfaction is found in Christ. 

      Each of our clutter leaves a legacy behind. Regardless of our age or stage of life our clutter tells our story just like the people we`ve touched. I hope the only story my clutter tells is how ready I was to leave this world and meet Jesus. I pray no thing on this earth will steal my affection and desire for Him.