I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. [Philippians 3:7-9a (NLT)]

I’ve been cleaning closets and cupboards and am amazed at the amount of useless stuff I’ve accumulated through the years. To some extent, we all have difficulty with emptying out possessions that clutter our homes. Old things are often tied to memories. We may be afraid that when we let go of these assorted mementoes and souvenirs that we will lose the memories as well. We cling to reminders of where we’ve been, what we looked like, or what we once were able to do.

Just as many people cannot clear the clutter from their homes, many of us cannot clear the clutter from our spiritual lives. We often find it difficult to rid ourselves of old attitudes, beliefs, habits, and even associations that are keeping us from a relationship with God. Having grown comfortable in the debris of our lives, we may hold on to resentment, prejudice, curse words or bad attitudes. We may even want to retain unhealthy, even toxic, relationships. It isn’t easy to get rid of things we’ve had for so many years; they’ve become a part of us. If we refuse to give up yesterday, however, we deny ourselves the wisdom and gifts of today. Moreover, when we cling to the clutter of our past, we are unable to face the future and receive its blessings. If our spirit is going to be renewed, we need to discard our former way of life.

Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. [Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT)]