Several years ago, my wife Carole and I were in “the process” of moving to a different house in Statesboro. “The process” had began several weeks earlier when we learned our offer on the house we’re in now had been accepted, and we started getting things together.
    Well, weeks later, we were still in “the process,” working to get everything into its new place (or, at least, a place)!
    This involved cleaning out and getting rid of things we didn’t need to keep – even though, like many other folks, we wanted to keep some of them.
    It would undoubtedly make moving easier if we would go through this part of “the process” before time pressures force us to do so. If, every so often, we took stock of the stuff we’ve accumulated, not only moving, but life in general would undoubtedly go much more smoothly.
    Several things can be noted about this part of “the process.” Here are just three examples: (1) Some things are hard to get rid of. (2) Things are rediscovered we’d completely forgotten about. (3) At times, it seems “the process” will never end.
      These same things, of course, apply spiritually. When we’re preparing to “move” from one time frame to another in life – whether it’s a day, a month, or several years, we need to take inventory of what has accumulated , and get rid of those things we don’t need and may be metaphorically cluttering up life.
    If we look at the three characteristics of the spiritual moving “process” in a little detail, we’ll find that...
    1. Some things are truly hard to get rid of. Habits are hard to break; bad habits especially so, it seems. Bad attitudes and wrong lifestyles tend to become deep-rooted. But, with God’s help and our determination, they can be uprooted and overcome.
    2. Things are found that had completely escaped our memory. Forgotten blessings, strengths and opportunities can become a conscious part of life again. (Unlike the stuff in the attic and on our top closet shelves, in the spiritual realm, this usually applies only to beneficial things. Good things have a way of showing themselves too often to be forgotten.)
    3. And, at times, it seems “the process” will never cease. Of course, the physical process of moving will come to an end. One day, we’ll either throw out, sell or give away the last piece we can stand to part with, and it’ll all be over...till next time!  But the spiritual process should never end. You see, it can’t. If it does, the bad stuff will continue to accumulate and eventually will overwhelm and destroy us.
    Cleaning out the harmful things from our spiritual houses is a discipline that needs to be practiced daily. May God help us
to do it.