While spending several hours yesterday cleaning out my garage (most of which I did not make a mess of) I got to thinking about how fast the garage got messy since the last time we cleaned it out. It just seems to naturally return to a messy state—with a little help from three “un-named” participants…but they only help it get there faster. As I looked around at the mess I saw missing tools, a bench full of “stuff” and a floor that was a mix of junk, trash, and miscellany.

And I wondered to myself: How did it get like this? Why did I let it go like this for so long? Now it’s so much more work than if I had kept at it. Sigh.

As I dove into the mess I got to thinking about how our spiritual life is like my garage sometimes. It’s easier to just “let it go” and not work at it so hard. But before you know it, there you stand looking at it wondering how it got to be such a mess…and why did I let it go so long? Like my garage, my spiritual life takes time and effort—and it’s best if I work at it a little at a time instead of waiting for it to get to be such a mess!

Yes, I know this isn’t a perfect analogy…but it came to mind while cleaning up the mess. When I was done I sat back and admired the cleanliness and orderliness (is that a word) of all the hard work. I wonder if Jesus does that when He’s done cleaning out our soul garage?