Got Any Mountains to Conquer?

I had been meaning to clean out that closet for a long time; I mean a really long time. So, what better time than a rainy afternoon? Feeling virtuous can energize a person so, knowing that I was bent on doing a needed, worthwhile deed, I dug in. Some things are  hard to let go of, for example, the dresses that were in style thirty years ago but, although they were still as good as new, I looked ahead instead of looking back, just as St. Paul instructed, and decided three decades of hanging in my closet was long enough. Out they came!

Sometimes our thought patterns are like that, aren’t they? We get so used to having negative, useless ideas that we take them for granted and they become a part of the background. They are ingrained habits like thinking we are too old or too poor or not talented enough. I say, Out with them! Such stuff is taking up space in our days and we don’t need them; old regrets, past words or deeds that stand accusingly in the background, shaking dusty fingers at us, lurking in the dim recesses of our minds are not good! It’s house-cleaning time!

Having gritted my teeth and turned my back on those familiar items that had been with me since teaching kindergarten in Oklahoma, it wasn’t hard to go on to sweaters and tops that just didn’t seem to fit like they used to (for some unknown reason) and then the pants that were not as roomy as they once were. After that, came the shoes. I like shoes! My penchant for footwear isn’t nearly that of Imelda Marcos’s but I do like comfortable shoes in a variety of colors. When I bought some of those shoes, I had in mind style, color, and comfort. Now, when I buy shoes, comfort tops the list.

Remembering King Solomon’s assessment of the ideal woman, I was feeling more virtuous by the moment! So, I grabbed my carpet sweeper and pretty soon, the floor of my closet was swept clean. Going one step further, I grabbed a dust cloth, got down on my knees, and dusted the baseboards.

But that heap of clothes and pile of shoes looked so abandoned. I mean, I had gotten used to them, for goodness sake! Was I sure I was doing the right thing? Maybe I’d actually need them in the future and tossing them was a big mistake! But, looking at my amazingly neat closet,  a niggling reminder crept in. I thought of the Lord’s admonition in Luke 11. Unless it is quickly filled with good things, a clean empty space can be quickly re-filled with things that are not so good.  And, after all that work, I actually did not want to un-do it. My chore was not yet finished. Only the clothes that I plan on wearing went back. Shoes  too, but only those that my feet consider friendly.

You’d think, after all that work, I would have sought a cup of coffee and a cookie. Amazingly, I looked around for the next mountain to conquer. It didn’t take long to find it. My garage has long looked neglected and in need of my attention. King Solomon would be proud of me!