The Heart Cleanser

A landlord had a tenant vacate his property without notice. Now that's bad, but the tenant left food in the refrigerator and had the power turned off. After several weeks, the landlord discovered the property vacant and trashed. He didn't describe the sight or smell from inside the frig, only the fact that the appliance had to be taken to the dump and replaced. I can't begin to imagine the contamination found inside. 

This morning as I read Jesus' words in Matthew 15:18 (NIV), the image of that refrigerator flashed through my mind. "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'"

The Holy Spirit nudged my heart with these questions—


- What's inside of me which is foul and polluting my heart?

- Are there unresolved issues festering in there? Is there bitterness bubbling up?

- Can fear be lurking and smothering my faith?

- What am I avoiding because I don't want to bring it into the light?

You see, there is comfort in that dark place where no one can see. There is safety in believing no one knows my icky thoughts and feelings or even the existence of my spoiling debris inside. Yikes! The very thought of cleaning up that mess makes me want a nap, or maybe better, to run for the hills.

Maybe this festering debris is better left alone. 

Besides, everyone has junk stuffed inside of them.  So does it really matter?

Oh, don't make me deal with my stuff!

But the Spirit urged me to think about my words which lead to my actions and see exactly what Jesus is telling me. Now I understand. Since I haven't cleaned up that mess on the inside, it's oozing into my words and leaching into my actions. 

Heart contamination. Plain and simple.

How can I be who He created me to be lugging all that toxicity around?

I'm reminded of the piles of trash I've already removed and how He helped me through that cleansing. I know that He will be faithful to help me in the future. Some areas will be easy to wipe clean but others will require deep Jesus'-elbow-grease-intervention.   

Time to get busy. Open the door to my heart. Put on my glasses and analyze the contents. Get a bucket of warm, soapy water. Pray for Jesus to illuminate the mess. And with His help, scrub.

If it's not of Him, it's  got to go. A clean heart, that's my desire.

How's your heart? Done any deep cleaning lately? Please share.

The season doesn't really matter. After all, He's the all-season cleanser.   

Tammy Van Gils is a writer, blogger, and co-owner of S & N Paint Contractors, Inc. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers International. In the Richmond area, she is a member of The Christian Writers Hub and Word Weavers Richmond. Visit her Facebook Page, Pinterest and Twitter @Tammyvangils.