It started with a simple prayer: "Lord, free me of everything that separates me from You." God took that simple prayer and began to peel off layer of shame, fear, guilt, and sin in my life. Things I believed to be just part of the human experience, God showed for the deception that they were. It was like He was cleaning out my refrigerator. He would reach inside and pull out a smelly container carefully tucked in the corner on the top shelf. Open it and reveal it for the smelly mess that it was, then ask me to allow Him to throw it into the abyss. Often it was painful to see and smell the junk that I had allowed in my life. I would look away and pretend not to see it. Perhaps, throw some baking soda on it to mask the smell. He was persistent and thorough. Greed, unforgiveness, pride, envy, gluttony, nothing was sacred but Him. I began to get excited as I would see the nasty containers of fear, guilt, shame, habits, and addictions being paraded in front of me. Shocked at how much junk was filling the space between Him and me, and happy to know that I was being rid of them. Sometimes, He would ask me to throw out something I was not done with yet. Often unforgiveness was the rotting bowl I tried to cling to. He would give me glimpses into the freedom possible and again I would repeat the prayer: "Lord, free me of everything that separates me from You." Years later, He is still cleaning out the same fridge. I have done some grocery shopping and bought some rotten things since. He is faithful, continuing, though the work will not be completed this side of heaven. I will continue to pray: "Lord, free me from everything that separates me from you."