14 “You are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp
and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who
are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven. – Mark 5:14-15 (NKJV)
Spring has sprung….the birds are singing, the flowers are
blooming and “the bees are buzzing in the trees…they’re making honey just for
me….” (sorry I had a brief Disney moment there). Spring is a time of new
beginnings, fresh starts…..2nd chances!
At the beginning of this year I was given, what I feel was,
a second chance at life. I had been experiencing a hormonal imbalance that was
causing me to have extended menstruation. Well, I greeted the new year with
hemorrhaging and my daughter calling the paramedics. I was swept away to the ER
where they ran tests and discovered that my hemoglobin levels were at 3. Not a
big deal you say? Well, as it turns out a normal level is somewhere between
10-13….8 is a dangerous level and at 6 people have been known to die. Needless
to say my level 3 was dangerously low…to the point where my heart should have
seized. My vitals were normal and I was functioning in a normal manner (whatever
that is for me J);
the nurses were surprised that I was even able to talk. They told me that I was
basically bleeding out and asked, “How is it that you’re awake?” My response???
“It’s by the grace of God.” And God was gracious indeed. I was given 5 blood
transfusions before my surgery and another transfusion in the recovery room. I
thank God that despite my stubbornness and ignorance, He covered me with His
grace and His healing hand kept me alive and well and gave me a 2nd
chance and an opportunity to start fresh.
And speaking of fresh starts, let’s talk about spring
cleaning….You know the take down the curtains, clean the windows, move all the
furniture, get rid of the hidden dust bunnies type of cleaning that many do
right around this time of the year (or hire someone to do this time of year). While
spring cleaning wouldn’t be a huge undertaking for my sister…who is very clean
and organized…..I always say you could eat off her floors.
It would, however, be
a huge undertaking for this full time working woman (insert finger pointing
back at me). For me it would require taking time off work and a whole lot of
recovery after the cleaning to get it done. My house gets cleaned, but not the
detailed clean that my sister does on a daily basis. Busy work days, full
schedules, the amount of people who live in my house and plain old exhaustion
keep me from deep, detailed cleaning. 
Sometimes this is also true of our spiritual spring cleaning.
When we become busy, frazzled and exhausted, it prevents us from keeping up
with our spiritual “house” cleaning. We allow the dust bunnies to gather around
our hearts, moths to flutter around our thoughts and grime to darken our
windows. It becomes difficult to feel, hear or see God in our lives much less
reflect Him unto others.
We read in Mark 5:14-16 that we are the light of the
world….a light that can’t be hidden. Our Creator made us to SHINE….not for
ourselves, but for others to see our light and glorify God. But how can our
light come shining through dirty windows, moth infested thoughts and tumbleweed
dust bunnies? It can’t! It’s our responsibility to keep up with the cleaning
and renewing of our minds in order to keep those windows streak free! C’mon…we
could all use some spring cleaning in our lives….even if you feel that your
house is spotless….let’s be honest….it’s not.
So, during this Spring season, in the midst of gardening and
spring cleaning, let’s try cleaning out the cobwebs in those murky, dormant
areas of our lives. Light and life needs to shine through, not only from the
Father to us, but from the One who lives in us towards others.
So take this
opportunity to start fresh and new. It’s great that God gives us 2nd
chances…..seriously, where would we be, if not for His grace?
