When Carter was a toddler, he had a tool chest on the back porch. Most mornings, he went outside, put on his hardhat, fastened his toolbelt, and inserted the tools into their appropriate holders around his waist. Inevitably, somewhere along the way, he found more tools that didn’t belong in his toolbox, but there was room for them on his toolbelt.

As clean up time came, he stuffed the tools back into his tool chest. Everyday it was the same thing—the lid wouldn’t close.

“Mama!” He slammed the lid up and down. “Won’t fit!” Tears rolled down his face.

“We need to make room for what fits in there, first,” I said.

I reached in, grabbed an extra tool, and put it in his toy chest. He did the same. Finally, we only had the tools that belonged in the toolbox, all tucked away in their rightful place.

This week I read the story about Jesus running the money changers out of the temple. Instead of reading out of my paper bible, I opened my app and read the Message version on my phone. After Jesus ran the money changers out, he said his house was for prayer, not a hangout for making money. Then here’s what the text said, “Now there was room [in the temple] for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.”

When the wrong stuff was in the temple, there wasn’t room for the right stuff to happen. Just like in Carter’s toolbox—there wasn’t room for the right tools as long as the wrong ones were in there.

The same is true for us. When we have too much of the wrong stuff packed into our lives, there isn’t room for the right stuff. We allow so much junk into our minds, hearts, time, friendships, jobs, homes, and families that we excuse away the right stuff that should be filling up our world.

Are we taking care of our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health? Are we filling up our free time with mindless games and scrolling on social media, making excuses for not including the better things in our lives? Are we in the right places, seemingly doing the right things, but having the wrong attitude and motives, like the money changers in the temple? What if we are getting in our own way? Or worse yet, in Jesus’ way?

Let’s take a hard look at our toolbox this week and see what needs to be in there. Then, get rid of the rest. If it’s become an obligation or a huge stressor, maybe it’s time to ask ourselves why. Maybe, like when Jesus cleaned out the temple and made room for healing, that’s what we need in our life. Healing can’t happen if there’s too much junk in the way.

This week, make room for what matters—no matter the cost. What’s a few money changers, anyway?

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