During recent weeks of attempting to clear out the tangled mess of accumulated clutter in my home, it soon became clear that it was only a fraction of what is superfluous in my life.
I also carry a lot of internal baggage, heavy weights I have assimilated over the years, almost without thinking. They’ve made their presence known in various ways but tend to get pushed into a corner, left to gather dust.
Just as our homes differ from one another, so do our hearts and minds and those things we allow house room to. My excess stuff may not match yours, and that’s okay. Sometimes we are unaware we are carrying extraneous luggage in our souls.
Allow me to name (in no particular order) some of my unwanted stuff that needs shifting. The list is by no means conclusive. There is always more to be found if we ask God to search our hearts. You might even spot a familiar item here….
My personal 7 deadliest sins list…. gulp!
- Perfectionism – definitely a work in progress
- Insecurity – writers are prone to attacks of this
- Impatience – not proud of this one… moving on…
- Selfishness – aided and abetted by needing (expecting?) help from others
- Envy – that horrible pang inside when you feel left out of this or that
- Pride – insidious, often masks as self-preoccupation/introspection
- Anger – usually self-directed, but not always
Once our excess, soul-burdening baggage has been identified, we require time for contrite confession and honesty before God, plus asking Holy Spirit for help and grace to act and react differently, while we learn to release this clutter compassionately into His hands.
superfluous
it’s superfluous
this excess internal stuff
still weighing me down
©joylenton
Poetry Joy 
Dear Joy,
Oh, I can agree with you, and list all of those sins for my own as well. He does have so much freedom to bring to us, still, doesn’t He? Changing our way of living, changing our way of seeing, as only He can do. And that is where His true rest lies. Thank you for these words today. May you find HIS rest and blessing even as you share with us. Hugs & Love! xoxo
Dear Bettie, thank you for bringing your gentle wisdom and insight to bear on these thoughts. I totally agree with your definition of where “true rest” lies, even if my impatient soul would like to be changed yesterday, please! Yet in the daily yielding we learn to depend completely on God’s grace, as we slowly trace His loving hand at work in all things, including the hard and intransigent. I’m so grateful for your presence here, sweet friend, for your lovely blessing and for your courageous, generous spirit’s willingness to admit to a share in these sins. Blessings, hugs and love! xoxo 💜
One of my favorite Matthew texts!
Oh good, mine too, Tara! I particularly like it in the Message version. Blessings on your week, dear friend. xo 😊💜
Dear Joy,
You could have been writing my list. Those are all areas I need to surrender to God. There’s no need for me to carry those burdens when He tells me to come to Him for rest and peace.
Blessings to you, dear poet/sister/friend!
You, too, Gayl? I was a bit nervous about sharing this list but you have helped me to feel less alone and exposed with these sins. Thank you for owning up, dear friend. I appreciate your candour and your faithful presence here. Hope to catch up with your blog soon. I’ve been struggling with a virus all week and haven’t got round to visiting regularly like I usually do. Another burden to hand over to the Lord. I’m so glad Jesus is always willing and infinitely capable of bearing the weight of the dross in our lives! May rest, peace, inspiration and energy enough to create be yours in abundance. Love and hugs! xoxo 💜
Yes, Joy, though I hate to admit them. But at lease we recognize them and know that God will help us overcome and trust in Him. So sorry you’ve had a virus. Hope you are feeling better soon. Blessings, peace and love to you with hugs! xo May you also have rest and inspiration and energy.
Yes, Gayl, recognising we have a problem is the necessary first step in seeking God’s support. We have the reassurance that He “will help us overcome and trust in Him”, as you so rightly said. Thank you for your kind concern about my health. I’ve not felt too good for a few weeks now and it’s been more of a struggle to try to stay ahead with these posts, never mind anything else. So I am having to rest and pace myself a lot to achieve writing here each day. How are you doing? It’s been draining, even though God has sustained me well, but I am cheered to think we are nearly there with our #write31days series. That’s no mean feat. We should celebrate! 🙂 And I’m loving what you are sharing on your blog, my friend. Rest, inspiration and energy to write are definitely needed, thank you! Love and hugs. xo ❤
Joy, It’s so hard to keep up especially when you don’t feel well. Glad you are learning to rest and pace yourself. I was able to catch up a little yesterday, but now I need to write tomorrow’s post. We only have 8 days left! I think a celebration is definitely in order. 😉
Thanks so much for commenting on my post and I’m so glad you are enjoying them.
Blessings, love and hugs! xoxo