I spent the weekend cleaning my house from top to bottom in a frenzy of energy I haven’t felt in months. It was one of the first non-rainy days in literal weeks, my tulips were showing signs of blooming, and the streaks of sunlight highlighted layers of dust I could no longer ignore.
Maybe I’m like a bear that hibernates all winter and comes to life again in the spring. While I like a clean house the same as the next person I’m not one to attack the chore with such fervour and enthusiasm.
Or perhaps I’m just being practical—it was a long, cold winter and many parts of my rural homestead were closed up for the season to preserve heat. And the other parts were covered in soot from the fireplace. So, of course, I’d take the first opportunity to air out the place and give it a good once-over and see if can be habitable once more.
When I looked around the Internet I learned spring cleaning has religious and cultural origins. For the Jews it’s linked to Passover, marking their liberation from slavery. And for the Catholics and Orthodox Christians, it’s linked to Lent.
Linking spring cleaning to Jesus cleansing our sin makes sense to me—“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). What a wonderful metaphor.
Cleaning out the sin, clearing away the clutter, and renewing my mind; this is what I need to start this new season off right.
I love the way The Message brings Romans 6:4 to life in a new way, describing life in Christ as a rebirth into a new world—much like the first spring day after a long, dark winter.
That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
Spring cleaning my spirit wasn’t what I set out to do on that sunny Saturday morning but it’s something I’m thinking about now and hope I don’t lose sight of when the clouds and darkness return.
