Internet Cafe: Beautiful Lack

I finally purged my closet.

It felt so good. I can’t believe the piles of clothes, shoes and accessories that came out of that small space. At the end of my four hour purge, I had three piles of trash and four piles of giveaway stuff. I looked at the mess in my room, and I knew all that unnecessary stuff had made getting dressed difficult and confusing every morning.

I got rid of old college t-shirts, clothes I bought on sale but never wore, shoes that were trendy but hurt my feet, belts and scarves that haven’t been touched in years, and work clothes that I no longer needed. Every time I held an item in my hand and thought, “Well, maybe someday I’ll wear it,” I would throw it in a pile. If I’m not wearing it now, I will never wear it!

Once I cleaned out my closet, I discovered several nice pieces that I had forgotten about. They were pressed between clothes I usually ignored, so I never saw them. Also, there was now a ton of space in my closet, and it felt good to know that I was gaining control over my wardrobe. Style has never been my forte, but I’m beginning to learn that a few “perfect” items are better than a truck-load of “okay” items.

With all that empty space, I began to get excited. Yes, I had very few clothes now, but I didn’t see it as a lack – I saw it as an opportunity! I was determined to slowly fill the emptiness with clothes that fit my body type, lifestyle and personal taste. No longer would I cram stuff into my closet that obviously didn’t belong there.

As I stared at my completed work, God said, “Isn’t lack beautiful?”

I instantly knew what God was referring to. He had purged my life of everything that was “okay.” I can remember every instance when He told me to throw something out or give something over to someone else. I felt insecure because I feared people’s opinions of me. Would they think I was being lazy? Would they think I wasn’t doing enough for God? Would they somehow think I was living in rebellion?

First of all, I know that I shouldn’t put other people’s opinions over God’s because that is idolatry. Second of all, I finally discovered what God was doing when He cleaned out my life. He was getting rid of everything unnecessary because He was about to fill my life with perfectly tailored pieces of my destiny. I was in a beautiful lack, and I became excited about what God was about to do.

Have you ever been in a beautiful lack? Does God want to purge your life of all the distractions that pull you away from your purpose? Will you allow God to trash all the “okay” things that confuse your calling? Don’t worry about what other people think about the purge – they’ll understand when they see you walking out in an amazing wardrobe tailored to your life. Hopefully, they’ll learn from your example and do a little life-cleaning themselves.

You can also read this devotional over at Internet Cafe!