So the last week and a half have been special and challenging all at the same time. My mother and I are doing a cleanse. This cleanse has been one of the biggest challenges for me because it is affects not only my eating, but my mental, physical and spiritual life. Talk about a gut buster! Geesh! The physical/dietary portion requires that we only eat food that comes from the ground in its natural state. That means fruits, veggies, and nuts, prepared by steaming only. Everyone that knows me, knows that I love my meat! I don’t think before this cleansing that one day went by that I didn’t have a piece of meat. Needless to say, it has been a challenge. However, my sister and mom have been graciously enough to hold me accountable- whether I like it or not. This week I went on my weekly run to Traders Joes to get all of the fruit and veggies needed to make it through the work week. Because I have been eating so many fruits, I decided that I better buy afruit and veggie wash. I took the newly purchased fruit back to my office to store in the refrigerator. In my haste to leave in the afternoon after work, my blueberries wasted on the carpet. I was so distraught at wasting a new batch of fruit, but then I remembered that I had my fruit and veggie wash so that I could scrub them real good and remove the impurities.

That night I went home and placed the blueberries in the wash twice and then decided to sift through the blueberries just a bit. As I examined the berries and its texture, I noticed that some of them were close to being spoiled. Anybody who eats fruit knows that spoiled fruit is really bad for the stomach and bad fruit sitting next to good fruit will make the good fruit spoil quicker. So I began to throw the bad blueberries away. As I continued to examine, I found more and more. It was amazing to me that after I washed away the filth I could clearly see the blueberries that need to be removed. The spirit reminded me of what the blueberries symbolized.

There is so much going on from day to day. We are exposed to so much that have the potential to become distractions-our jobs, family, community services. All of these things listed could be great, but they can also cloud the promises and path that God really has for us. Once so many distractions are piled on, it is hard to see the good from the bad or what we were called to do by God. The hard question is “How do we know what we should do if there is so much to do? “ God is calling us to clean up our inner man. Just as I washed the blueberries, He is asking us to begin to wash and purify our spirit, which will uncloud our judgment and path. Purifying our insides means taking time to get away from all the distractions and focus on God. This includes spending time in prayer and meditation, asking God to show you where you focus should be. God will immediately point out the areas where we should give up or spend less time doing in order to focus on his plan for our life. There is so much purpose flowing through your veins and you are talented. But all the talent and work in the world -without God’s purpose- will leave you empty and discouraged. Take God at his word and begin purify your spirit.

Focus today on spending time cleaning up your inner man and living on purpose.

Cleaning up the inside,

Felicia Smith