Spring Cleaning For The Soul

spring cleaning

I’m a purger. Big time. I despise clutter and love wide open spaces. I dislike little things – you know the little treasure box trinkets that are up and down the stairs, under tables, and on the bathroom sinks.

My boys are collectors. Collectors and purgers have a hard time coexisting on cleaning days.

As summer nears, I begin to nest. My boys are coming home in less than 13 days. Well, they are technically only away 6 hours a day, but I feel like I lose more than 6 hours a day with them.

So I spring clean and nest simultaneously. I start clearing out every single thing in my home that hasn’t been used in a year. I fill up trash bins in record time. I have empty drawers and closets all over this house. And I feel like a new person. Funny how a little simplification and purging can do a soul some good.

No more complaining that stuff is all over the house. It’s all been trashed or given away. There is no “stuff”. What stuff is left has a function and is used.

What I notice about me is how I become more anxious when my house is cluttered. I can step over messes for only so long before I begin to snap at the people who created those messes. I can relish in the little hands and feet that made those messes until it’s day 3 and the messes haven’t moved.

Too much clutter, too much stuff, and I am too distracted. I can’t think as clearly. I start and stop. I get a tad cranky. Life begins to feel a bit more overwhelming. Then I have a good purge, and suddenly I can breathe. I have space to breathe, to relax, to notice.

I find my soul needs a good spring cleaning from time to time. Just like in our homes, our souls can become collectors. We take in things over time that take up space, leaving us little room to breathe. We fill ourselves full and find ourselves distracted, a tad grumpy and overwhelmed. We just want to relax and breathe.

A good purging does a soul good. I little slowing down, taking things off schedules, saying no more than yes. A little more looking for God in the moments rather than seeing the pressures of the days that want to take over that space where He wants to reside. A clearing  out of time to sit in silence allowing nothing but Him to speak to you.

How are you soul cleaning this spring? I’d love to hear your ideas for clearing space in your soul.

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