I have spent the last few days cleaning out stuff I have accumulated in the office at church. It hasn't been easy. It is amazing how quickly things build up and get out of control. I had stacks on top of stacks on my desk. There were piles of old photographs, magazines, and books I had planned to go through. As I was excavating the area behind my desk, I found a few things I thought had been lost forever. I felt a bit like Indiana Jones when I came up with a picture of five of my friends from high school! That was the rewarding side of my end of the year adventure.

I am not going to talk about the dark side. I didn't know there could be layers of dust marking the different eras of twenty years of ministry. I'm kidding, of course, but when I went through the papers and memorabilia I have collected over the last few years, I was astonished at how much there was. I took several bags of trash out to the curb before I was done. As we approach New Year's Day, I hope to make a fresh start.

As I was sitting in the middle of the floor going through the mess, it struck me our lives often get just as cluttered over time. We let little things build up and never deal with them. We develop habits that take root and begin to control what we do. We inherit attitudes that shape and color what we think and how we interact with others. We fall prey to self destructive tendencies that go unchecked. The truth is that if we dealt with these things when they arose, we could overcome any one of them. But we let them build up and take root in our lives. How many people thought a simple trip to the Casino would be fun and ended up becoming a slave to the slots? How many people started out enjoying a social drink with friends only to become chained to a bottle? How many people thought a little harmless flirtation at work would come crashing down on their home and family life and end up in divorce court?

I know a lot of people who have let things build up in their lives and feel that it is too late to do anything about it. They have a big mess that is out of control and is about to bury them. I have good news for you if you are in that boat today. You can start over and begin life anew. I like what the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Philippians. "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the prize for which God has called me." (Phil 3:13-14) The truth is that the door to yesterday is closed and gone forever. We cannot change the past. It does us no good to live life looking in the rear view mirror. Regrets over mistakes we made and missed opportunities will only sink us further. We need to bag up all these feelings and put them out on the curb so we can start fresh today. God is willing to help us because He has a plan for our lives.

Our calling, as people of faith, is to live today for the glory of God. God has promised to help us if we answer that call. He will move in a dumpster and help us throw out those things that have built up in our lives so we can serve him whole heartedly. So do you need to do some end of the year cleaning? What do you need to pack up and throw out so you can walk with God in the new year? Think about it and then call on Him. Take it from me. It feels great to walk in and see your house is clean and in order. It allows you to start dreaming again and making plans for the future. So go ahead and get started. God is ready when you are.

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Cal Lord is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Norwich and a weekly columnist for the Spirit Page of the Norwich Bulletin Newspaper.