“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1.20). Mara means “bitter.” Can you imagine meeting an old friend after a long absence and when she calls you by name, you say, “Don’t call me Donna or Diane or David … call me Bitter.”
But Naomi isn’t the only one who deals with bitterness. Sometimes we do and if we give in to it, it doesn’t only affect us. Because it will, eventually, spill out on everyone around us, it’s important to deal with it biblically. So, what is the antidote for bitterness?
As I said last week, keeping clutter under control seems to be a battle I’m constantly fighting. And most of us would agree that clutter can quickly make us feel overwhelmed and disorganized. But could there be spiritual clutter in our lives that creates a whole host of problems? Could it lead to a sense of hopelessness and lethargy and could it hinder our relationships with God?
While I’m sure it’s not an exhaustive list, I suggested eight things that I see as spiritual clutter. Today I’m going to talk about ways to rid yourself of that clutter.
Keeping clutter under control seems to be a battle I’m constantly fighting and sometimes losing. As a friend of my husband’s once said, an open surface just seems to invite you to put something on it. It’s easy to set things on the nearest convenient space thinking we’ll deal with them later. Unfortunately, clutter can quickly make us feel overwhelmed and disorganized. In fact, organizational experts will tell you that the minute or two it takes to put things in their proper place can save you a lot of time and energy later. But what about spiritual clutter? Could spiritual clutter lead to a sense of hopelessness and lethargy in our spiritual lives? Worse yet, could it be hindering our relationships with God?
We’ve all seen them or experienced them, blended families with angry, resentful children or teens. And parents who are just trying to “live through it” until the kids are old enough to leave home. In some cases, the children aren’t only angry but are in full-blown rebellion. I don’t have to tell you this falls far short of God’s best for families.How does this happen when couples start out with such high hopes for their marriages and families?
