Making Your Home Sing - Spring Cleaning of the Heart

Spring is in the air!! As we enter March, there is promise of new life, warmer weather and the beauty of spring. Many times in the home we prepare to "spring clean" where we get rid of things that hinder and hamper the efficiency of our home. Spring cleaning takes some time, effort and plain ole hard work! But the end result is worth it. A clutter free, organized, clean home that shines from the inside out!

Spring also means that Easter time is approaching. Easter is early this year - April 4 and the season of Lent is already in progress. Being born, raised and grounded as a Southern Baptist, Lent is not a practice that we observe. In fact, it was only in the last few years that I learned about the practice of Lent and what it represents. Apparently, this has also escaped my children's knowledge. This weekend while riding in the car, I began reading them some material about Lent and it's beginnings. I started with the question "Do you know what Lent is?". The answer was "The stuff that you find in your pockets?" Oh my....Oh my...we have some work to do!

Lent is the 40 days, not counting Sundays, before Easter. Lent is traditionally a time of fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter. There is no biblical command to practice Lent, but as we approach Easter this time can be used spiritually to examine our hearts and lives and redirect our focus to serving the Lord. You may can say it is "spring cleaning of the heart". A time to ask the Lord to help us look deep into our heart and clean out old garments of forgiveness or jealousy which don't fit the Christian who is now created in holiness. To dust off and polish our desire to dig into God's Word and hear and receive from it. To dig through the clutter that fills our mind and purpose to seek the Lord for His plan for our lives. To throw out any trash that collects, which is anything that hinders our walk with the Lord. A time for renewal and freshness that will equip us to live a godly life which begins in the heart, the home and through our life.

My plan for my home this week is to share some devotions which lead up to Easter. I have found a few resources and although "late for Lent", I am excited to freshen and liven up the spiritual atmosphere of my home.

Here is a free download Lent Activities for the Family which is filled with ideas for family devotions.

Peggie's Place has a page filled with Easter ideas.

Teachers Help is also rich in Easter resources.

I went to Amazon and Ebay and found Easter family devotional books very reasonable.

May we be encouraged to spring clean our hearts and homes this Spring. The end result will be fantastic!

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress. When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.

JenniferMarch 8, 2010 at 10:10 AM
I have to admit I am also not familiar with Lent (although I'd hope it was more than the stuff in my pockets..haha - too funny!) :)

Lots of good information in this post - I want to look at the resources you shared and learn more. I love the idea of spring cleaning for the soul:) Thanks for sharing -

Have a great Monday.

Jennifer
Tami @ This Mom's DelightMarch 8, 2010 at 1:04 PM
I've never participated in Lent, but I think it'd be good for evaluating our habits and day-to-day living.
momsthewordMarch 8, 2010 at 4:16 PM
"Spring cleaning of the heart" I love how you put that! I don't practice Lent either, but I had some friends growing up who did.

It is always a good thing to examine our hearts and refocus our focus to make sure it's on Him! Thanks for linking up today.
Saint ShellieMarch 9, 2010 at 10:14 AM
We all need to refocus and have "Spring cleaning of the heart." And of course, this time of the year is great to do that. Examining our hearts can be a bit painful, but the rewards are everlasting! Praise God! We don't "do" Lent, either, for some personal convictions of ours, but the habit of examining ourselves is one that we try to focus on all year. Great post! And Happy Resurrection Day...Coming soon!

Blessings and Great blog!

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