Start fresh with Jesus
One day in December we received a surprise we didn’t want. Not all surprises are fun, right? We discovered bed bugs had entered our house through a newly purchased upholstered headboard. It was a terrible discovery! It was shocking and scary and required immediate attention.
We got right to work, following the instructions of the pest control man, to rid our home of these unwelcome guests. Every drawer was cleaned out in the affected bedroom and adjoining bathroom. Every article of clothing washed, dried and refolded. And the headboard? Tossed out. The first to go.
I couldn’t help but reflect on how our bedbug experience is much like our life in Jesus. At some point we must come to the realization that “ugly” has entered out lives. Whether the realization wakes us up early in the morning with a jolt or it’s a slow growing issue that takes us years to face up to, it’s “seeing it” and recognizing that change must happen that is important.
Enter Jesus. Jesus offers us a better way. When we’re ready to accept this “better way”, we must be ready to “toss out” the ugly and accept the best gift ever—the gift of forgiveness and love. Then, some cleaning up must take place. We have to get rid of habits that are not God-honoring. We need to clean up some speech that might not be pleasant or kind to others. We must sort through the things we view, read, and reflect on to make sure we’re feeding our brains things that will make us better people, not pull us down.
It is an opportunity to start over. Brand new. Fresh. Clean. Because when Jesus comes in–really comes into your heart–everything else must go.
It’s a new year. It’s a good time to wake up to what is keeping you from living a life of joy, happiness, peace, and love. Today, when I open my neatly arranged drawers, I am reminded of the ugliness I saw the morning we discovered the bedbugs. The bedbug experience forced a “clean out” that I needed to do. Neat and clean looks so much better.
I was able to say, “Not today, Satan!” and I took back my bedroom. Take back your life by putting Jesus first. Everything else will fall into place.
Hugs, Chrys
