Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
This focuses on the heart, who you are!
To begin; just what is clutter?
Clutter is a lot of things in an untidy state, especially things that are not useful or necessary. ‘Clutter’ can make us feel stressed, anxious and depressed. Research from the United States in 2009, for instance, found the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered.
While some chalk it up to laziness, there’s actually underlying psychology of clutter and disorganization that keeps people from tidying up. Potential reasons people hold onto clutter include: They feel overwhelmed: It’s often a huge job to get rid of things, which can be physically and mentally exhausting.
So, what does The Word say about ‘clutter’?
https://www.openbible.info/topics/clutter
Did you know the Bible even talks about throwing things away? Ecclesiastes 3 speaks about there being a time for everything. Verse 6 says there is “a time to keep, and a time to cast away.” (ESV) There is a time to get rid of what we no longer use. It can be a good thing to discard or to recycle.
What is spiritual clutter?
With the popularity of Marie Kondo and her Netflix series Tidying Up, many of us are paying more attention to the physical clutter in our lives. Some of us are even clearing out that clutter.
Marie’s goal, according to her website, is to help more people tidy their spaces by choosing joy. As Marie helps families rid themselves of things that no longer bring them joy, she asks them to thank those items for what they’ve provided. Essentially the KonMari method not only helps people clear their physical clutter; it also helps them clear their spiritual clutter.
Spiritual clutter is lack of peace; lack of contentment; lack of forgiveness.
It limits our ability to fully develop values and actions that promote our true purpose in life.
How do we clear our spiritual clutter?
To begin clearing spiritual clutter, we must first focus on that purpose and begin doing the work it takes to develop our most important values. Here are seven tips to get you started on clearing your spiritual clutter.
1. Set limits.
Life is busy, and there’s never a shortage of expectations. Know who and what matters most to you, and fill your time with those people and experiences. As you devote less time to TV, social media, and friends who tend to be negative, you’ll notice an increase in peace and purpose in your life.
2. Let it go.
Even though we know we aren’t able to control other people, we still get stuck in the mental drama of expecting others to apologize for past hurts. You may have heard the saying that holding a resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. When we fail to let something go, we aren’t punishing the other person. We’re actually punishing ourselves. Knowing peace is the ultimate goal gives us what we need to just let it go and move on.
3. Create “you time” on your schedule.
Doing for others is a big part of life for most of us. We complete projects for the boss; make dinner for the family; pick up the dry cleaning for our spouse; build scenery for the cast of the school play. All worthy acts that help us live a life full of love and connection.
How often, though, do you set aside time just for you? Whether it’s time to read, exercise, pray, or just sit in silence, time on our own is vital for clearing our spiritual clutter.
4. Show up early.
How much stress do you feel when you leave home on time for an appointment but then are slowed down by an unexpected detour along the way? It’s times like this when we allow our circumstances to take over, and our frustration at the situation bubbles over into our drive or the appointment itself. Our heart beats faster; our blood pressure increases; and our patience dissolves away. Give yourself the gift of being early—every time. You’ll save yourself a great deal of stress and will enjoy the feeling of calm you create.
5. Connect with others who are like-minded.
When we’re searching for inner calm, connecting with others may seem counterintuitive. Those connections, though, can bring us a sense of knowing our place in the world. Being with like-minded people, those who believe in what we believe, is comforting, uplifting, and needed for the clearing of our spiritual clutter.
6. Ask rather than mind read.
Misunderstandings happen when we make assumptions that aren’t correct. We notice a look another person gives us or sense a sarcastic tone in the reply we receive. Immediately we make that mean something about us, the other person, or the situation we’re discussing. To gain a sense of inner calm, simply ask about what it is you’ve noticed. Acknowledge body language you notice, and verify that you’re reading it correctly. Speak up when you sense that sarcastic tone. Be respectful. Be kind. And be assertive in asking rather than making incorrect assumptions.
7. Decide and go with it.
Decide what’s for dinner. Decide where your vacation will be this year. Decide what activity you’re participating in next month. Decide which shoes to wear today. Just decide. Then go with that decision without second-guessing yourself.
When we do just that, we experience peace. And calm. And contentment. And a lack of spiritual clutter.
Peace through Processing Life
Author and motivational speaker Wayne Dyer once said, “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” Clearing our spiritual clutter helps us to achieve that peace which ultimately results in a life where we understand and live out our purpose every day.
And we pray:
Lord, I don’t want to take old baggage into a new season. Help me to organize my household, my finances, and my life. If there is anything in my life that is out of order, give me your eyes to see, and give me the strength to do whatever it is you are asking me to do.
As a Christian I wondered if the Bible had anything to say about decluttering and organizing our homes and our lives. There seems to be an answer to everything in the Bible so I took some time to examine the Good Book for advice.
The first lesson I came across was from Matthew 6:19-21 when Jesus spoke to a crowd of people. He definitely spoke about our “stuff” and not letting it be a top priority in our lives.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (ESV)
Jesus goes on to say that God takes care of all our needs. Those of us that think we have to save everything “in case we need it” should let things go and help others in need.
Matthew 6: 24-30 says “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (ESV)
Paul talks about contentment in Philippians 4:12. “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” (ESV)
We may not always have everything we want, but God supplies all we need. At this time in our lives we may be dealing with many uncertainties, not doing what we want to do or going where we want to go, but He tells us to be content. We don’t need “stuff” to make us happy.
1 Timothy 6: 17-18 talks about being generous and willing to share. As I have decluttered in many homes, I am amazed at the generosity of so many. They often want their donations to go to the right places where they are truly needed like shelters, schools, Boys and Girls Club, St. Vincent’s and Salvation Army.
“For the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” (ESV)
God has blessed us so we can be blessings to those in need.
Did you know the Bible even talks about throwing things away? Ecclesiastes 3 speaks about there being a time for everything. Verse 6 says there is “a time to keep, and a time to cast away.” (ESV) There is a time to get rid of what we no longer use. It can be a good thing to discard or to recycle.
Finally, I found the story Jesus told in Luke 12: 15-21. “And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
God clearly has advice for us in many areas of life. Now I need to listen to this advice and do some decluttering in my own home.