I can recall feeling like I was making the same silly decisions and I wondered, “how did I end up here again?” I had to realize that it was because I hadn’t addressed some underlying issues in my life. Sure, I was good on paper and I looked fine, but inside was another story. Some of you know what I’m talking about. It’s like a house; we lightly touch up areas, sweep stuff into corners, and throw stuff in a closet. It’s just tidy enough to give the impression that the areas are clean, but if someone were to open the closet, move the sofa, or go into “that” room, they would clearly see that there is a mess. We try to do that same thing about our issues, hurts and pains. We’re afraid to confront them or don’t want to admit the pain, so we stuff them into a closet and sweep it under the rug- really believing that will fix it. But like any mess, what you don’t deal with in your hearth will only continue to manifest. It will show up in how you respond to situations, who you choose to date, and put you on an endless cycle of making the same bad decisions. Why? Because you haven’t truly cleaned out your heart, so the residue of the pain has spewed into other areas of your life. You keep “tripping” over the mess you refuse to deal with. If you want to truly be better in certain areas of your life, ask yourself these questions:

• What hurt, pain or issues haven’t I dealt with?
• Who am I unwilling to forgive?
• What negative patterns do I see in my life that need to be corrected?
• How has my past shaped my perspective? Is that perspective helping me or hurting me?

Your honest answers to those questions will provide insight into the “deep cleaning” you need to do- and for you and for me, it will take time, but the results will be a house, a temple, a heart that is open, bright and ready to receive the best life has yet to offer you.