Cleaning the Junk in Our Hearts

A few years ago, I made the determination to throw out everything unnecessary in my room. However, halfway through cleaning my very messy and cluttered room, I gave up.

Now, a few years later, I have finally fulfilled my determination. As I cleaned, I wanted to give up many times during the process and wondered why it was taking so long. It seemed like the uneaten candy bars, old school papers, and outgrown clothes were actually accumulating and never-ending!

I began wishing that I had cleaned daily and thrown out unnecessary items during the past 14 years of my life. As I cleaned, I reflected on how my messy room, in a way, mirrored the clutter of items and thoughts in my heart. Worries about school, sins I had failed to repent for, scenes from TV shows, unedifying conversations with friends, and constantly thinking about what I would be doing next were among the things that cluttered my heart and prevented me from completely focusing and relying on God.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “keep [our] heart[s] with all diligence, for out of [them] spring the issues of life.” Our hearts are meant to be a quiet and pure place for conversation with God. This verse reminds us to keep the garden of our hearts clean and pure with all diligence, which requires hard work and determination.

If we fail to clean our hearts daily by removing the idle talk, unclean thoughts, and time-wasting tasks that occur each day, our hearts may eventually become tangled with many worldly thoughts, worries, and troubles. Rather than a peaceful place, our heart becomes a place where the weeds grow, entangle us, and affect our thoughts and actions. These weeds may come from daily exposure to media, gossip, and worldly responsibilities. We find ourselves wishing that we had surrendered these things to God every day in prayer instead of letting them build up inside.

Therefore, let us not put off cleaning our hearts until they become cluttered, but let us daily cast our cares on Jesus (1 Pet 5:7) and keep our hearts with diligence so that we may have a clear pathway of communication with God in every moment of our lives.

What is the junk that you need to clean out in your heart?

What are some practical ways you can go about doing this?

What does a clean heart look like?