We’ve spent this past month of March talking about spring cleaning—decluttering our hearts, our marriages, and even our Bible study routines.
And sweet friend, if you’re anything like me, you may have uncovered some things that you weren’t expecting (or maybe you were, but you were hoping you wouldn't see!).
🧹Maybe as you dug into your marriage, you realized there’s been some lingering resentment you haven’t fully released.
🧹Maybe in your heart, God revealed places where bitterness or pride have taken root.
🧹Maybe in your Bible study, you’ve noticed that your time with the Lord has been more about checking off a box than actually growing in knowledge of and intimacy with Him.
Spring cleaning is important—it makes space for what truly matters.
But here’s the thing: clearing out isn’t the final step. It’s what comes next that really changes things.
After we’ve emptied our hearts of clutter, we need to intentionally fill them with the things of Christ.
That’s what April is all about. Renewal. New life. Walking in the fullness of what God has for us.
Because if we don’t allow God to renew and refresh us, we’ll end up right back where we started—cluttered, overwhelmed, and spiritually stagnant.
So today, let’s talk about how to take the next step. How do we move from just cleaning to truly renewing our hearts, our marriages, and our faith?
1. Renewing Your Heart: Replacing Lies with Truth
One of the biggest barriers to renewal is the lies we believe. Lies like:
❌ I’m not a good enough wife or mom.
❌ My marriage will never change.
❌ I’ll never be consistent in my faith.
❌ I’m not a good enough wife or mom.
❌ My marriage will never change.
❌ I’ll never be consistent in my faith.
These thoughts may feel true, but friend, they are straight from the enemy.
The best way to renew your heart is to replace these lies with God’s truth:
✅ God’s grace is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9).
✅ God can restore what is broken (Joel 2:25).
✅ God is working in me to grow and strengthen my faith (Philippians 1:6).
✅ God can restore what is broken (Joel 2:25).
✅ God is working in me to grow and strengthen my faith (Philippians 1:6).
Action Step: Start a “truth journal.” Each morning, write down one lie you’ve been believing and then write the truth from Scripture that replaces it. When you feel yourself slipping back into those old thoughts, go back and read the truth.
2. Renewing Your Marriage: Cultivating Grace and Forgiveness
Spring cleaning your marriage may have brought up some things you didn’t love—old arguments, unresolved hurts, or just the weight of the daily grind pulling you apart instead of together.
Renewal in marriage means learning to release and refill.
Release the offenses you’ve been holding onto. Refill your marriage with grace, kindness, and intentional love.
Ephesians 4:32 says,
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
We cannot move forward in a thriving marriage if we’re still clinging to past offenses.
Action Step: Choose one way to actively bless your husband today, regardless of how you feel. Maybe it’s making his favorite meal, sending a kind text, or simply choosing to let go of something minor that’s been irritating you. Watch how small acts of grace shift the atmosphere in your home.
3. Renewing Your Faith: Moving from Routine to Relationship
Maybe last month you realized that your Bible study has felt dry or more like a duty than a delight.
Renewing your faith means shifting your perspective from “I have to do this” to “I get to do this.”
Psalm 51:10 says,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
That’s our prayer. That God wouldn’t just clean out the old but that He would renew our spirits so that we hunger for Him more than before.
Action Step: This week, try something new in your quiet time. If you always read devotionals, spend time in just the Word. If you typically just read a chapter (or several), try using a study method like S.O.A.P. or Verse Mapping to breathe new insight into your reading. If you always study alone, invite a friend to study with you. Shake things up and invite God to bring fresh excitement to your time with Him.
Let’s Step into the Newness of Life
Cleaning out is good, but filling up with what is life-giving is better.
So as we step into April, let’s not just leave empty spaces where the clutter used to be. Let’s fill those spaces with truth, grace, and renewed passion for Christ.
Friend, God is always in the business of making things new—including you. Let’s step into this next season expecting Him to work in our hearts, our marriages, and our faith.
I’d love to hear from you—what’s one area of your life where you’re asking God for renewal right now? Drop a comment below and let’s encourage each other!
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Throughout this month, we've talked a lot about spring cleaning: our hearts, our marriages, our quiet time.
But how in the world do you find the time to DO any of that spring cleaning in the first place?
Most women - wives, mothers, and single women alike - often find themselves at the mercy of their calendars and to-do lists - that are often based on other people's priorities.
Our homes aren’t the only things that need a little spring cleaning—our schedules and boundaries do too.
Let me ask you something (and be honest with yourself here): Have you ever felt too busy to spend time with God?
You want to dive into Scripture, you want to pray more intentionally, but life just keeps piling up?
Between marriage, kids, errands, work, and all the little things that need your attention, quiet time with the Lord keeps getting pushed to “later”... except later never seems to come.
If you're too busy for God, you're taking on tasks and responsibilities that He hasn't asked of you.
God Never Asked You to Do It All
Somewhere along the way, we started believing that being a good wife and mom means saying “yes” to everything—every volunteer opportunity, every social event, every late-night task we could’ve asked for help with.
But God never called us to exhaustion. He didn’t design us to be so busy serving everyone else that we have nothing left for Him, for our husbands, or even ourselves.
Jesus Himself had boundaries. He didn’t heal everyone who asked. He stepped away from the crowds to pray.
He rested.
And if the Son of God didn’t try to do it all, why do we? (Tough truth: it's often our pride and need to control that makes us feel like we can and should do it all.)
If your schedule is packed, if you feel stretched thin, if you don’t even know when you last had an unrushed moment with the Lord—it’s time to declutter your commitments.
Spring Clean Your Schedule & Priorities
I want you to take a look at everything on your plate right now. Write it down if you need to. Then ask yourself these questions:
- Did God call me to this, or did guilt, pressure, or people-pleasing put it on my plate?
- Is this bringing my family closer together, or pulling us apart?
- Is this drawing me closer to God, or distracting me from Him?
- Is this an accurate indication of what I say I prioritize, or does it compete with everything I want to prioritize?
- Am I resting and restoring my energy, or am I running on empty?
If your schedule is so full that you don’t have time to pray, to study Scripture, to truly connect with your husband, or to just breathe—something has to change.
Not everything needs to stay on your calendar. Some commitments are good, but may not be God’s best for this season. It’s okay to say no.
Boundaries Aren’t Just for Others—They’re for You, Too
A lot of times when we talk about boundaries, we think about setting limits with other people. And yes, that’s important!
But boundaries aren’t just about saying no to others—they’re also about saying yes to what matters most.
I'm sure you've heard the saying that when you say yes to one thing, you're saying no to something else.
What do you need to say no to so that you can:
- Say yes to daily time with the Lord—even if it’s just 15 minutes before the kids wake up.
- Say yes to date nights with your husband—your marriage needs intentional care.
- Say yes to rest—rest that refuels you, not just mindless scrolling on your phone.
- Say yes to quiet evenings at home instead of overloading your schedule.
When you clear out the clutter and protect what truly matters, you’ll find more peace, more joy, and more of God’s presence in your everyday life.
What Needs to Change?
So here’s my challenge to you, sweet friend: Take some time this week to “spring clean” your boundaries.
Pray over your commitments. Ask God to show you what needs to stay and what needs to go. And then, be bold enough to make the changes He’s calling you to make.
God never asked you to do it all. He just asks you to walk with Him. And trust me—when you clear out the clutter, you’ll have so much more room for His peace, His wisdom, and His joy.
Need a little guidance? Grab your FREE guide, "From Overwhelmed to Aligned: A Simple Worksheet to Free Your Schedule & Focus on What Matters" to help you reflect on your current schedule and make space for what you know God is actually calling you to prioritize right now.
I’d love to hear from you—what’s one boundary you need to reset this season? Let’s chat in the comments! 💛
We all know that in marriage, it’s not always the big things that cause trouble—it’s the little things that build up over time.
Just like dust accumulates in the corners of our homes when left unchecked, small annoyances, unresolved hurts, resentment, unexpressed (or unrealistic!) expectations, and neglected moments of connection can clutter our marriage.
Song of Solomon 2:15 warns us about “the little foxes that spoil the vines,” reminding us that the small things we ignore can slowly damage our relationship if we aren’t careful.
Similarly, there are probably some small things you used to do for your husband that he appreciated, but you've slowly stopped doing them.
Could these be some of the little things in your marriage that need attention?
- expressing aggravation or annoyance when your husband speaks
- the habit of rolling your eyes instead of extending grace
- the unspoken resentment that has built up over time
- hinting or expecting him to "just know" what you want or need rather than clearly communicating your expectations and desires
These small things may not seem like a big deal in the moment, but when we don’t address them, they create distance.
Can you think of some things you used to do that you haven't in a while?
- Maybe you loved planning date nights and had a blast, but since he doesn't plan them you haven't been either.
- Perhaps you used to leave love notes around but life got busy and you haven't thought about it in a while.
What did you used to do for him while you were dating that you've stopped?
This is why staying in the Word is essential—Scripture doesn’t just give us insight into our relationship with God; it also convicts and teaches us how to love our husbands well (Ephesians 5:33).
When we study God's Word deeply, it transforms us into more godly wives who exemplify the fruits of the Spirit, including towards our husbands.
If you’re feeling distant from your husband, take some time to pray and ask the Lord to reveal any areas where you might need to dust things off, purge a few unhelpful habits, restore some prior romantic ones, and refresh your marriage with some new displays of respect.
James 1:22 reminds us to be doers of the Word, not just hearers.
That means if God’s Word calls us to be patient, gentle, and forgiving, and if we're called to honor one another above ourselves, we need to actually put those things into practice—especially in marriage.
This week, do a little “spring cleaning” in your marriage. Apologize for the harsh words, extend kindness where there’s been frustration, and be intentional about nurturing your relationship.
Just like a freshly cleaned home feels refreshing, a marriage free from built-up offenses will bring peace and joy.
If you'd like a little more guidance, check out my FREE 7-Day Spring Clean Your Marriage Challenge! You'll receive a PDF workbook and 7 days of emails that will walk you through refreshing your marriage biblically, one small step at a time.
You know what time it is...
Spring cleaning season is here, and while you may be busy dusting shelves and tossing out clutter, have you paused to consider that your heart might need a little decluttering, too?
Just like a messy home can make it hard to find peace, a heart weighed down by sin, distractions, or unaddressed emotions can keep you from walking closely with God - which in turn can wreak havoc on your marriage.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us to
lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.
This is an instruction, which indicates that we have control over whether or not we do this.
If we want a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord, and a stronger, healthier marriage, we have to make space for God by intentionally, purposefully, obediently letting go of the things that get in the way.
Maybe you're struggling with bitterness or unrealistic expectations toward your husband; a grudge you’re holding against a friend; or just the never-ending to-do list that keeps pushing time with God to the bottom of it (which means it rarely, if ever, happens).
Whatever it is, there are some steps you can take to declutter the things in your heart that aren't serving you, your faith, or your family, and free up some space to invite Christ to fill you with godliness and fruits of the Spirit.
The first step in decluttering your heart is identifying what’s there.
You can do this by prioritizing your time studying Scripture.
When you spend intentional time in the Word, the Holy Spirit brings to light the things you need to surrender (Psalm 139:23-24).
If you don’t make space for Scripture in your life (daily if possible), you won’t even recognize the clutter you're carrying.
Spend time reading and studying the Bible, and then take a few minutes to journal out a few things you feel the Spirit is revealing to you that you need to let go of.
The next step is to actively let go of sin and negativity.
This is where you apply what you study.
If God’s Word calls you to forgive, you forgive. If it calls you to trust instead of worry, you surrender your anxieties in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7).
It’s not enough to simply acknowledge the clutter; you have to remove it. And just like with physical clutter, this is an ongoing process—not a one-time event.
As you take steps to declutter your heart, you’ll find that your time with the Lord feels more joyful and meaningful, your marriage will benefit from your softened spirit, and your joy in Christ will grow.
The final step is to replace the clutter with fruits of the Spirit.
In Matthew 12:44-45, Jesus tells us:
Then it [the demon] says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.
When you simply try to stop doing or to release something, without replacing it with a godly alternative, you leave your mind, heart, and soul susceptible for the enemy to fill that space with even more clutter.
For example, you can try to stop thinking negative thoughts about your husband, but if you don't replace them with positive thoughts instead, you'll find yourself coming up with all sorts of other destructive assumptions to dwell on.
How do you cultivate the fruits of the Spirit? By practicing the core spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and worship.
If you need help getting started, I invite you to check out my free Quieting Your Mind Guide. This guide was created to help you learn how to experience deeper, more meaningful and fruitful connection with God in your quiet times.
Make time this week to sit with the Lord and ask Him to show you what needs to go. Then, be obedient in clearing it out and adding spiritual disciplines in so you can walk more freely with Him.
Sweet sister, have you ever thought about how much God’s love shapes your marriage?
I'm sure you've had thoughts about God bringing the right man to you to marry, maybe you've thanked Him for leading you to your husband, or maybe you've wondered if you actually did marry the right man.
But have you thought about how His love - His godly, enduring, long-suffering, faithful, selfless, servant-hearted love - daily affects your marriage?
God's love is the cornerstone, the glue, and the safety net all rolled into one.
Without His love, we’re left striving and falling short.
But when God’s love is your foundation - meaning it's the motivating factor behind every action and response you have towards your husband - everything changes.
God’s love is unconditional—it doesn’t depend on how well you “perform” as a wife. And that same unconditional love is what should spur you on to extend grace when your husband messes up, forgets something, hurts your feelings, disappoints you, or when you're in the middle of a heated argument.
It’s a love that chooses (intentionally, meaning you do have control over your ability to do this) forgiveness over bitterness and encouragement over criticism.
One of my favorite verses is 1 John 4:19:
We love because He first loved us.
As Christians, one of our goals is to become more Christlike each and every day.
Knowing that Christ loved you first, and you want to be more like Him, you should also desire to "go first" in your marriage - apologize first, respect first, organize date nights first, extend the olive branch first.
When you’re feeling worn out or unappreciated, let this truth sink in: God’s love isn’t only for you to receive; it’s for you to reflect. As Proverbs 11:25 reminds us:
One who waters will himself be watered.
When you water your marriage, you will be watered. When you reflect God's love to your husband, it creates a safe space for growth, healing, and joy.
This week, take time to rest in God’s love for you.
Meditate on Scripture, journal your thoughts, and ask the Lord to open your eyes to His love for you.
Then, look for opportunities to allow that love to overflow into your marriage—whether it’s a kind word, a forgiving heart, or a simple hug.
Bonus points for finding ways to specifically love your husband in his own love language.
Let’s anchor our marriages in God’s love and watch Him do amazing things through us.
