Cleaning Closets

During the last year or so, I often have dreams about closets. In these dreams I discover that my closet is much deeper and larger than it appears in my room. I also discover more clothes and shoes than I thought I owned. I can say that the same goes for my life in general. 

At least once or twice a year, I get into a major cleaning mode. One of the chores on my cleaning list is to go through my closet. Unbeknownst to me, I discover long lost memories from the past as well as clothes I have not worn in several years. Since I forgot I owned this particular shirt or dress and no longer recall the last time I wore them, I know it is time to toss them out of the closet. The same goes for thought patterns in my life.

Here are some examples of spiritual closet cleaning that are parallel to physical closet cleaning.

Hand me downs

1. Generational curses

            Example: Used underwear and socks. If a thrift store won't accept them, then you shouldn't either.When my brother and I were in early elementary school, a friend of Mom's wanted to get rid of her son's underwear so she asked Mom if the underwear would fit my brother. He refused the underwear knowing that they have been worn numerous times and probably had past turd stains on them. Mom informed my brother that the underwear has been washed and should be good enough for him to wear. My brother still refused. 

           Just like some generational curses which seem to get handed down, we do not need to keep them. There has been a family joke about the "worry gene" in my family. Great Grandma was a big time worrier who passed it down to my grandmother who passed it down to my mother. I got some of the worry gene but Mom had worked hard to break the curse by encouraging me to stop worrying about stuff. Although we do have some worries in life, Mom and I do not worry to the same extent as previous generations.

I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.-Exodus 20:6 

2. Love-extra

            Example: An outfit you've worn so many times, have had it for years and now ready to pass it on. Throughout my life I have had quite a few outfits that I have worn more times than I could ever count but after a period of time, I needed to get rid of this item to make room for other items in my closet. Plus, I wanted someone else to wear it. I have also worn hand-me-downs from others throughout my life. As a child and being the oldest of all my first cousins, hand-me-downs for me came from other relatives and friends who had older children. When I was about a year old, I wore a polyester olive jumper that once belonged to my uncle who was 15 years older than I. 

3. Restored clothing

            Example: Mistakes made by ancestors who learned from them and passed them on to the next generation. The polyester jumper that used to be my uncle's became mine when I was a year old. Mom stitched my name onto the bib of the jumper.

4. Some skip a generation

            Example: A vintage dress of Grandma's that did not fit Mom but I could fit into it. Grandma's a believer in Christ, but Mom does not exactly share that belief. However I (the granddaughter) am a born-again Christian.

A New Wardrobe

 When I became a Christian, God gave me a new wardrobe: His armor. I also got the fruit of the Spirit which must be worn at ALL times; not just on Sundays at church or when I hang around other believers. With a NEW Christian wardrobe (lifestyle) I don't have more room in my closet for the negative, ungodly stuff. When I became a Christian I got a new wardrobe but still have a closet that needs to be cleaned. Sometimes I don't realize that there's something wrong in my life until you have discovered something good (the presence of God).

In one of my dreams: I discovered shoes and clothes in my closet that I did not realize existed. When I began to dig deeper I discovered things I once forgot about such as past memories, the discovery of where, why, when, and how I got that certain belief, idea, ungodly belief, etc.

So why do I still hang onto things that don't get worn or I keep wearing them when they no longer serve their purpose? Just now I am finally getting rid of my bridesmaid dress which I wore in my friend's wedding over nine years ago. It has stayed in my closet for that long but I know I will not be wearing it again. It no longer fits me because I've lot weight and I know I will never wear it again. So I had it dry cleaned almost a year ago and I decided to donate it for a great cause. Someone I know uses fancy dresses for "Princess for a Day." I am also getting rid of my cap and gown from college graduation five years ago. If I do decide to get my bachelor's degree I would probably be wearing a different colored cap and gown. I never knew what to do with it until I cleaned out my closet a month ago. I had cleaned out my closet other times while the cap and gown was still in a plastic bag. This last cleaning spree I decided it was time to do something about that cap and gown. I am donating them to my local college because I know that preparing for graduation can become expensive. Some people don't attend their college graduation because they cannot afford it so I hope that my donation will make a difference for someone else.

As for my spiritual closet cleaning, I will not be finished after one cleaning spree. Each time I evaluate my walk with the Lord, there is usually something He wants me to get rid of. If I'm constantly storing up negative thoughts in my head, they can crowd out the positive that He wants for me to use.