If we look to the beginning, we will see that we were made for God. Crafted in His image, placed in a garden to walk and talk with Him. In this perfect beginning, God was in all and with all and through all. He was the peace that permeated all circumstances, the love that filled all relationships, the purpose that directed all steps. He filled us. 

But we know that the story takes a turn from there. The disobedience of the first humans wrenched apart God and mankind. His peace, love, and purpose no longer filled all that we did. We were left empty. Yet, since we were made to be filled, we tried to fix things on our own. We tried, and continue to try, to fill that emptiness with other things. Temporary, useless things. Things that clutter. In an attempt to fill our broken, empty hearts – we crowd ourselves with work, hobbies, relationships, accomplishments, possessions, and anything else that gives us a moment of feeling full. A moment of peace. Of love. Of purpose. But that’s the thing about temporary things – their effects are, well, temporary. 

In an attempt to fill ourselves, we clutter ourselves. And you know what clutter does? It makes it harder for us to see the emptiness. When the temporary effects wear off, instead of realizing our underlying emptiness, we think that we must just need more. And more. And more. On and on the cycle goes. And on and on we are left empty, yet cluttered. 

The good news, however, is that we don’t have to stay in this cycle forever. God and man may have been wrenched apart, but that doesn’t negate the fact that God had a plan for us to be wrought together again. 

Jesus. He is the solution, the plan. He came, as the one in all and with all and through all. And He filled us. In His death and resurrection, He made a way to cleanse us of all of our clutter. As Hebrews 9:14 says, His blood will “purify our conscience from dead works.” He purifies and cleanses us from the works, sin, and clutter that leads to death. There is no more trying to do it on our own. No more trying to fill ourselves. Christ in us, the hope of glory – He fills us to the uttermost. He is the all-sufficient One. He is now the peace that permeates all our circumstances, that love that fills all our relationships, and the purpose that directs all our steps.

This purpose is laid out for us in that same verse from Hebrews 9. It doesn’t end with us being purified from our dead works – it tells us why we are being purified: “…to serve the living God.” In Christ, we are filled, yet cleansed – in order that we may serve God like we were made to do in the perfect beginning.