An Unexpected Tool to Spark Healing

My adult children gave me a wonderful gift: they hired a cleaning service to do a deep clean of my home.

In preparation, I also did some decluttering.

That alone lowered my stress level. To see clear desk and table tops, to have removed stuff that we hadn’t even looked at in years (decades?), let alone used, gave me a feeling of “ahhhh” whenever I entered a cleared room.

Photo by Humairah L.

Someone has said that clutter is like a silent “to do list,” niggling the subconscious constantly. I didn’t know how true that was.

Papers on the desk called out, “deal with me!”

Store fliers enticed me with “deals waiting here!”

The laminator I never used, the boxes of old journals I’ll likely never look at again, the notepad with notes from 2012 about a stressful time dealing with my husband’s sister as she declined—all were somehow silently causing stress and stealing energy from me.

I reminded myself that clutter is, as Stephanie Bennet Vogt says, “stuck energy,” and as I cleared, I experienced that truth.

When the cleaners came and got rid of the dust and cobwebs hiding in the corners, cleaning surfaces and even the grimy oven, and I walked into the house, I could feel the difference.

Yes, clutter is stuck energy, for sure. I was surprised at how much energy was now available.

Something else interesting happened, though.

“Heart issues” came up as I decluttered. “Emotional weather,” such as fear of letting go (“I might need it someday”). This would indicate a scarcity mentality, and lack of trust that God will always give me what I need, when I need it.

Antidote: Do Healing Codes for trust issues (allow any memories of past times when I felt I didn’t have what I needed to come up, without judgment. Also times when I gave something away and then needed it). Truth Focus Statement for that: God always gives me what I need, when I need it.

When focusing on that, I can recall times when I needed something and God provided, and allow myself to feel what I felt at that time. (Get this: As I was typing this, suddenly my keyboard quit working! I prayed, played around with the connections, and was able to carry on very quickly! What a fun reminder from God of this truth, just as I was writing about it!)

This is where a “gifts journal” comes in. When we take time to write down such little instances of God’s goodness to us (like what just happened to me with the keyboard), we tend to remember them better and can use those memories when doing The Healing Codes.

I also noted how I could tend to beat up myself (“I can’t believe you didn’t get rid of that stuff in that corner for all this time!”) Enter Healing Codes for this Harmful Action. While doing the code, I would focus on self-compassion, or even better, God’s compassion for me.

That’s another thing you can do while doing a Healing Code: what we call a “love picture.” You take a moment to tune in to the presence of Immanuel, “God with us,” which is one of Scripture’s names for Jesus, and sense him either in the memory you’re trying to heal, or in the present as you sit with the self-criticism.

For instance, is Jesus as critical of me for not getting rid of that stuff in the corner of the family room as I am? No! As I allow the feelings of inadequacy to surface, I find him reassuring me that this is not important in his eyes, that there are reasons I hold onto stuff too long (trauma response), and that he is more than adequate if I do decide to get rid of these things. As I do my Healing Code, I bask in his acceptance and love.

Decluttering does tend to pull up “heart issues,” in a good way if you let it. I’m finding it yet another way to speed healing of pesky “heart issues” that may not come up any other way.

If you decide to try clearing your physical space and do Healing Codes along the way, I’d be very interested in hearing about your experience. Feel free post a comment here!