Cleaning The Basement

T

he huge dump truck parked at the entrance to our basement told me everything I needed to know.  Daddy was once again cleaning out our basement, trying to reclaim the space our toys, bikes, and other important “stuff” had invaded during the past several months.  It seems that daddy was always cleaning the basement, making it neat and clean just so we could junk it up again.

I always had the same feeling each time I saw the dump truck parked outside the basement door—panic!  Toys I hadn’t touched in months or years suddenly became important and things I hadn’t taken notice of in months I suddenly couldn’t do without!  Everything and I do mean everything in that basement was a necessity.  Had I not wanted it, I would have thrown it away instead of hiding it deep within the recesses of our basement where no one, not even me, could find it!  That’s why I hid those things there so no one would find them and throw them away!

But daddy didn’t buy that argument and he wasn’t persuaded by all my nifty explanations and reasons for wanting to hold on to things I clearly had very little or no interest in.  He wanted the basement cleared of all debris so the space would be useful.  Before daddy went on his cleaning binge you couldn’t even set foot in our basement.  This was due largely to the fact that when told to put something in the basement I just naturally opened the door and set whatever the item was inside taking no heed of the clutter that was accumulating just inside the door.  When daddy finished, however, I could never get over the amount of room and useable space in our basement.  It was so large and so empty that I couldn’t wait to fill it again and thus the vicious cycle continued.

Cluttered basements and cluttered lives have a lot in common.  In fact, our lives can become so junked and cluttered with “stuff” that there is little or no room for God.  This is when God decides to take a broom and clean our spiritual basements. He wants to remove all the junk and clutter so he can have room to mold us and shape us to conform to the plans he has for us.

The book of Genesis speaks to the fact that we must rid ourselves of the clutter in life that prevents us from having a proper relationship with God and from receiving all the blessing He wants us to have.  The story of Jacob and his wrestling match provides the backdrop for our devotional today.

In Genesis 32:23-24 we read, “After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.  So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.”  When we catch up with Jacob he is on his way to see Esau, his older brother from whom he stole both the birthright and the blessing of his father Isaac.  Jacob has become wealthy but still he is worried about the reception he will have when he meets his brother.  Jacob is not sure what Esau’s welcome will bring but he suspects it will not be smooth.  To that end, he has divided his family and his possessions for safety and he has sent a handpicked gift to his brother to appease him.  This is the point where we find Jacob at the river Jabbok on the night before he meets Esau.

Just before he beds down for the night, Jacob sends all his possessions across the Jabbok and is left alone.  This is a very important truth and one we must not overlook.  It is only when Jacob is alone, only when he has divested himself of all his possessions, only when he removes the clutter from his life, that he has an encounter with the Lord.  Until everything standing between Jacob and God is removed, no blessing, no fulfilling relationship, and no growth can take place.  As long as his life is filled with other thoughts, other ambitions, other things to do, and other concerns, he has no place for God and no usable space in his life.

However, when Jacob sends his possessions over and is all alone God can then begin the cleaning process and put his life back in order.  This is what happens as the man, the Lord, wrestles with Jacob all night long.  During this wrestling match, Jacob holds on for dear life.  He wraps his arms around the Lord and refuses to let go until he obtains God’s blessing.  He has nothing else to hold onto and nothing else to which he can cleave.  It is God and God alone that Jacobs grabs and, in the process, learns that only the Lord can meet the deepest need of his heart.

How is the basement of your life today?  Is it filled with clutter?  Are there things stored there you haven’t paid attention to in years?  Have you stuffed things in and jammed your life so full of meaningless things that God has no room to work?  Don’t be surprised to find the Lord showing up in your life, ready to clean your basement.  He will not be interested in hearing excuses or arguments for holding onto things that you don’t need.  Instead, He wants to know if you will permit him to clean out the junk, set your house in order, and make use of the space in your heart for his glory.  What do you say?  Isn’t it about time you let the Lord clean your basement today?