Spring cleaning for your soul

Spring is here and there are signs of new life everywhere! Buds have turned into green leaves in the trees and flowers are in full bloom, sharing their gorgeous colors and fragrances for us to enjoy. Nature really does seem to be at its very best throughout the spring season: every little thing feels brand new and fresh!
This is a time when most of us get a nudge to clean out our houses with some serious spring cleaning! We want to open the windows for fresh air, clean out all of the old and bring in the new. About the house, dark colors are replaced with bright colors heavy blankets traded for lighter softer throws on still-cool evenings. Much more kids are outside running and playing in the warmer temperatures, cheeks warm and red instead of cold and chapped.
Oh to clean out our souls during this season, throwing open the window of our heart for fresh air to revive us! Although we can’t literally clean up our souls, we can possibly practice a couple of exercises to get a burst of new life straight from God’s Word:
"This is the day the Lord has produced. Rejoice and be glad in it!" This verse – taken from Psalm 118 – is a reminder that each day can begin off with rejoicing, thankfulness and gladness. How refreshing to know that even prior to we get out of bed, we can quit and thank God for His goodness to us and the blessings He’s given us.
"Search me, God, and know my heart…" the Psalmist knew his heart was open to God, not for scrutiny or judgment, but for a thorough searching. In his earnest, David - the writer of Psalm 139 - wanted to know if anything appeared as ungodly or unholy in his search to be genuinely Christlike. We can take his example and pray to ask God to search our hearts as nicely to aid us with our struggles and points that hinder our every day Christian walk.
All through the New Testament, Paul encourages us to strive to be more Christlike. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul directs us to be a lot more thoughtful of attributes such as honesty, justice, purity and all issues lovely. While the world doesn’t often supply these things – and at times in our own hearts we can discover ourselves lacking – we have a good guideline with which to examine ourselves. Have you been dishonest, unjust or unfair? Here’s an opportunity for some soul-cleaning: be honest. Be just. Be fair. Apologize to a person you may possibly have hurt or offended. Ask for forgiveness or be forgiving if somebody has hurt you. Ask God’s assistance to be a lot more honest and just.
You can start fresh today – or any day – with God’s gentle guidance to aid clean out your soul. A easy prayer each day is a fantastic way to begin out focusing on God’s goodness instead of being anxious about the day. A individual or group bible study is also valuable for renewing our minds as we function to tend our soul and look for ways to bring new life in Jesus!