Spring Cleaning

Ah, it’s spring again! Time to throw open the windows, take down the shutters, put away your winter wardrobe, and do a little spring cleaning. There’s something about spring that just makes you want to shake out the rugs and sweep out the garage.

Spiritually, we sometimes need a little spring cleaning as well — a readjustment that guarantees that our priorities are right. To start, I challenge you to honestly answer the questions below to see if there’s work to be done in your life.

I love the story of the first grader who had noticed that her father had been bringing home more and more work from the office each night. When she asked her mother why, her mother explained, “Daddy has so much work to do that he can’t get it all done at the office.” “Well then,” the girl innocently wondered, “why don’t they put him in a slower group?”

You know, maybe that’s not such a bad idea. As the pace of life gets more hectic and unhealthy, perhaps the solution is to join a “slower group.” Often we live at a breathless pace that creates stress, fractures family relationships, and squeezes God out of our daily lives. If you work hard and play hard, you’ll probably crash hard. Now may be the time to take one giant step backward.

Take a few moments to evaluate your spiritual, emotional, financial, and relational priorities. Perhaps like me, your life is ready for some spring cleaning of the heart.

Clean Sweep Checklist
Think through the following questions. Your answers will quickly reveal if some priorities need to be readjusted.
• When was the last time you made a new friend?
• How often do you and your spouse go out on a date?
• Do you get enough sleep at night?
• Do you have credit problems or carry too much debt?
• Are your children showing signs of stress?
• When was the last time you really laughed out loud?
• When was the last time you took time out to do something fun with your whole family?
• Has your faith become mechanical and detached from life?
• Is your job strengthening or strangling you?
• Have you eaten your vegetables today? Really?