My mom loves shopping. Scratch that—my mom loves a good deal. This is great when it comes to making wise purchasing decisions, like waiting for a couch to go on sale or scouring Craigslist for gently
used American Girl dolls for her granddaughters instead of buying them brand new. But take a look at her overflowing closet and you’ll quickly see that a markdown on a price tag has tempted her one too many times.
Last year, she asked my sisters and me to come help her purge her cluttered closet. My older sister, Amy, like a true firstborn, is organized and has a gracious way of telling the truth without hurting feelings. Hillary, my little sister, is the fashionable one, and we all look to her for opinions on what to wear. And me? Well, I’m just very good at getting rid of things.
We met up at Mom’s house on a Friday morning and set right to work. One by one, we pulled items out of her closet, asking a set of quick decision-making questions: Do you wear it? Do you like it? Does it fit? If she couldn’t answer yes to all three questions, the sweater or dress or pair of pants was tossed to the side. By the end of Operation Closet Clean Out, my mom’s wardrobe was cut in half and her closet was lovingly organized with only the clothes, shoes, and bags she needed and wanted. Mission accomplished. This day of purging was painful for my nostalgic, deal-seeking mom. She had an attachment to almost every article of clothing, and even if it was never worn or no longer in style, it had a memory or a sale price that she didn’t want to part with. She put up a playful fight with each piece that landed in the growing giveaway pile, finally acquiescing as we reminded her that she asked for this.
The clearing out, while hard, was so good. It made room on the racks, provided space for her clothes to hang nicely, and revealed to my mom that just because it was a good deal did not mean it needed to be her good deal. The purging of the overstuffed closet was necessary to clear away the old and the unflattering and leave open space for future can’t-pass-up purchases.
The purging of closets can feel unsettling and stir up fear: What if cutting away means nothing good will grow back in its place? What if I never find another dress as wonderful (even though it’s the wrong size)? Most of us don’t readily invite change, endings, and loss into our lives. These are hard to endure and even harder to welcome. But as my wise friend Reagan says, “An element of disruption is always needed to initiate lasting change.” My soul was ready for lasting change.
Real rest requires an undoing. Like removing your shoes before tucking your legs up under you on the couch or taking out your ponytail before laying your head down, the things that are binding and tangling need to be unbound and untangled to prepare for real, deep, spiritual rest. This is no small act. As we accept Jesus’s invitation to find real rest, we have to start with surrender. When we release our tight grip on our lives, we allow old patterns and wrong ways of thinking to fall away. There’s no difference between pruning an unfruitful branch and letting go of the blouse that never did fit right. This letting go makes way for new, beautiful, abundant growth.
Uncovering what we need to release from our lives and figuring out how to loosen our grip on them takes time, patience, and intentional effort. As I began to pay attention to the behaviors and patterns of being that kept me in a hamster wheel of striving, I identified a few big ones: Control. Comparison. Distractions. Comfort. And an overall reliance on self. These parts had to be cut away. I knew it would
hurt, but ultimately, I held firmly to the hope that Jesus’s invitation into real rest was for me, and this was a necessary step in receiving it.
Sleeping in, time alone, coffee with friends, and finding hobbies that make you come alive are all wonderful. Do these things! But don’t just stop there. The rest Jesus offers is true rest for our souls that we can find only when we let go of unfruitful efforts to prove ourselves worthy and make room for God to bring forth new life. We participate in this growth by letting go of our mistaken beliefs about where identity, purpose, and belonging are found and allow him to restore our hearts to the truth. Are you longing for a deep inner disposition of rest? If so, it’s freely yours.
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Your invitation awaits.
Freely and Lightly, by Emily Lex, offers an intentional pathway to experiencing peace, contentment, and true fulfillment through walking with the Lord. With relatable stories and honest reflections, Emily shares how following Him can help you find real rest, freedom from expectations, quiet confidence, and more.
Do you breathe a sigh of hope when you hear this holy and gentle invitation from Jesus? “Come to me… Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
If so, then you are ready to accept his offer to recover and renew your life. Start your journey today. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.
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