Our Inner Wardrobe

by Edith Pont⁽¹⁾
http://edithpont.com/

It’s that time of year again when I usually begin to clean out my closet and fill up bags that end up at the Salvation Army. I take out my clothes, try it on and dispose of items that are too worn or that don’t fit anymore. It’s so liberating to be able to let go of “stuff” that I just don’t use or is no longer a good fit.

I must admit that the process of cleaning out my closet is uncomfortable. It’s a drag having to take everything out, just to put it back in. I have to try on items that sometimes I know just won’t fit and have to face that reality. After I’m done trying things, I think, “I can’t put the clothes back in with dirty shelves.” So, I then proceed to dust off the shelves, clear out any spider webs hanging on the ceiling corners and end up cleaning the floors. Only then do I feel the clothes are ready to be put back in. During the entire process, I try to focus on the end result: a de-cluttered closet = a focused mind.

Sometimes, our heart and mind are similar to our closets; we clutter them with useless and unhelpful items (problems, lying, anger, worries, un-forgiveness, resentments, past emotional injuries, negative beliefs, and all kinds of idols). These become our inner wardrobe. We wear them as a way to mask our pain, to distract us from our fears and to satisfy our cravings. But there comes a point where that inner closet gets full – a tremendous amount of energy and time is used to push and shove things inside. Why? So that others won’t see the truth within! And why are we surprised when we open the door and things come spilling out on top of us? The stench is so strong that we can no longer deny there’s a problem.

It’s a good idea to clean out our spiritual wardrobe. We cannot disconnect the mental (mind), physical (body) and emotional (heart) well being from the spiritual (soul & spirit). When there’s a deficiency in the spiritual department, other areas suffer. Some pieces in our wardrobe are still functional and good pieces, while others need to be completely eliminated. When we remove these pieces that are actually damaging the “image” of the rest of our wardrobe, we make room for our true inner selves to shine! – Philippians 2:15

You see, it’s not about your outer garment; it’s ALL about your inner wear. Whatever is in your heart, will ultimately spring forth – “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”– Matthew 12:34 (NIV). It’s the OVERFLOW that matters. Many times, we get so busy trying to maintain our outward appearance that we forget about the inner heart. “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

How do we begin the process of clearing our inner wardrobes? Stay tuned for the next blog post – Cleaning Our Inner Wardrobe – for some practical steps you can take to help you in this process.

Rest in His Word:Psalm 86:11

“Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; ?give me an undivided heart, ? that I may fear your name.”

Heart Checkup:

What’s inside your inner wardrobe? Take a good look!
In what ways have you neglected your spiritual wardrobe?
In what ways have you tried to mask the pain within?
How have you been busy with pleasing man with your outer appearance?

Article submitted Friday, May 11, 2012 & read 941 times.

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