Spring is coming up fast! I, for one, am ready for it. The house has been closed up since late autumn; Christmas brought extra things to store and I am ready for Spring Cleaning. During this time of the year I always get excited to start purging clutter, organizing rooms and “stuff”, cleaning the house and detoxifying my body. My body needs to be cleared out from all the holiday yummies I allowed myself to have and that are now sitting heavy on my belly.

Detox is a hot word these days. It was once known mostly for rehabilitation from drug and alcohol use, but more currently there are detox programs for weight loss and other various health and mental ailments. Detoxification is being used for our insides, outsides, and can be used to cleanse our mental state of mind too.

Detoxification is defined as the process of removing toxic substances or qualities. Our liver and kidneys are great partners in cleansing our body of unwanted toxins and foreign substances that could potentially destroy our health. When we decrease the amount of toxins we put into our bodies while at the same time supporting our bodies with the nutrients it needs to function properly, our body neutralizes and gets rid of toxins & other unwanted waste.

The tools we use to detox with depends on what our goals are, but generally most detox programs or diets utilize organic vegetables and fruits, plenty of water, and encourage getting good sleep. Some will go so far as to add body cleansing, as in sloughing off dead cells with loofahs, tongue cleansers, and sometimes exercise. Often beneficial side effects of a detox regimen include losing weight, sleeping better, healthier hair and glowing skin. That’s what we can see on the outside anyway.

The insides of us, where we can’t see, benefit from a detoxification as well. Our immune system gets a boost, as our bodies are better able to absorb the nutrients we give it. Often once the detoxing is done, our breath is fresher due to the elimination of toxins that had built up in our bodies which caused bad odors. Our brains become clearer as we reduce the sugars and fats that we bombard ourselves with that cause fogginess and cloud our abilities to think and act quickly. A big benefit that most of us don’t realize is the anti-aging benefits. The food we eat, the air we breathe, and the toxins we put on our skins all contribute to the aging process as they oxidize us, causing our bodies to decompose faster than intended. When eating a detoxing diet filled with anti-oxidant organic produce, the amount of free radical damage that has been done to our bodies is reduced, sort of a Spring Cleaning for our insides.

Spring Cleaning and Detoxification are both beneficial to our bodies and mental state of mind, as well as our home environment. But these are hardly new concepts. King David wrote: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” Psalm 51:10. He was asking God to detox his spirit.

Paul, the apostle, encouraged God’s followers to prepare their bodies and their minds to be acceptable to God when he said, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect,” Romans 12:1-2. Paul was letting the members of the church know it was time to detox and get their bodies and minds healthy according to God’s laws.

You may wonder how to go about detoxing our spirits. The apostle John wrote: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9.

As spring approaches, take time to reflect on what areas in your life need a good Spring Cleaning. Spring is the perfect time to slow down, reassess our lives, and make changes. Let’s start that detoxification process to remove the toxins in our lives and start with a clean body, mind and spirit.