“…let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1
I’m fascinated by the show “Hoarders: Buried Alive.” It takes you into the lives of hoarders — people who are addicted to accumulating mass amounts of items that they don’t throw out. There are homes that are beautiful from the outside with perfectly manicured lawns, yet the inside is completely cluttered. The clutter blocks access to other areas of the home, strains relationships with family and friends and threatens their physical and mental well-being. I find myself asking the question, “Why can’t they just let it go?”
The show brings in a team that includes a trained therapist. Therapists recognize hoarding is a symptom, not the cause. Cleaning the home is temporary if the root cause isn’t addressed. There is always an underlying reason to why the hoarders collect. It could be childhood abuse, trauma or a sudden life change over which the person had no control. The therapist guides the hoarder through this painful yet crucial healing journey. The result: a new state of living that enables them to enjoy and live a fuller life.
I still find myself thinking, “I could never live that way. Why can’t they just let it go?”
Funny thing: whenever I say I could never, or would never do something … I get a gentle reminder that I have been in the same situation. Like two days ago, literally.
The past few weeks have been filled with travel, work projects, school assignments, changing seasons and everything else in between. My house was feeling neglected, and I brought in a friend to help me do some purging. She was gentle yet firm, but it kept me focused as we sorted through the small pile. She pointed out items I had not used in years and asked, “Sheila, why are you holding on to something you don’t need?” I remember looking at everything that was packed in the garbage bag, and it hit me; all of this was taking up space in my life, and I didn’t even need it.
And it’s not always easy to let go of stuff.
Likewise, we can be in a spiritually cluttered state of mind. Bitterness, unforgivingness and negative thoughts can pile up on us. Holding on can block us from accessing or moving into other areas of our lives, strain relationships with family and friends and even threaten our physical and spiritual well-being. But it’s not easy to let go. Surrendering can be a painful yet crucial journey, but it’s worth the result — a state of living that enables us to enjoy and live a fuller life.
Have you ever liked a song and didn’t know all the lyrics, but when it came time for the chorus, you were singing it with everything you had? “That’s When You Bless Me” by the L.A. Mass Choir was that song for me. I didn’t know all the words, but I could belt out that chorus, “That’s when God blessed me, and He did just what He said.”
One day I took the time to listen to the phrase that came right before the chorus. What was the prerequisite for the blessing?
“Then I let it go … and that’s when God blessed me.”
You can contact Minister Sheila Spencer at sheilapspencer.com or via email at CustomMadeInspiration@gmail.com.
