Decluttering the Soul

My third child was born in October. By the end of November, I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in our house. The combination of one more person’s stuff (and babies have a lot of stuff) and everyone being home all the time (hello, pandemic) made me acutely aware of the constant clutter. Dishes, dirty laundry, toys, and half-finished craft projects seemed to be the constant battle and demanded the majority of my time and attention.

Ready to pretty much burn the house down in my postpartum exhaustion, I made a goal to get rid of stuff. I started by thinking of getting rid of one bag or box of stuff every week for a year. So, fifty bags, size doesn’t matter. Then I decided to give myself a real challenge and make it 100. As of this week, just over halfway through the year, I am at 117 and counting. 

The practice of decluttering has been a process. I started by carefully choosing things to get rid of. This shirt has a stain. These shoes are worn out. I didn’t miss these things, and I celebrated one less item to wash, pick up and maintain with each choice. I went through the house again, this time being even more selective. The question changed from “why should I part with this?” to “why should I keep this?” I have two whisks. Why? I have six infant bath towels. Why? 

At this stage I started to get rid of perfectly good items that were useful. If I had kept them, I probably would have used them at some point for something. But in choosing to part with them, I am making a conscious decision to value something other than having a full cabinet. In a world that demands that we need more and more is better, I can attest that for me, less has been such a breath of fresh air. 

I was drowning in things. Instead of me owning them, they owned me. I still have a long way to go, but I am not crawling back to clutter. I no longer have to sift through unnecessary things to find what I am looking for. I can maintain what I have without being overwhelmed or giving it more time than I want to give. There is so much more to life than keeping up with the stuff that I have surrounded myself with. Can I truly love others well while spending so much time and energy on my belongings?


READ
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Matthew 6:24-25, NIV
 

APPLY
The same principle is true of the stuff in our hearts. What thoughts keep cycling through our minds, cluttering up our focus and distracting us from godly thoughts? What unhealthy habits and feelings do we refuse to let go of because we might need them one day? When we are trying to love others well, does our own brokenness keep us from being able to serve them effectively?

In order to serve our master, Jesus, wholeheartedly, we will have to begin the process of decluttering our souls. We have to ask the tough questions about the things that we are holding on to- our reputation, our image, our secret failures, our dreams and goals, and our rights. While it is a challenge to let go of the things that we hold dear, they compete for God’s throne in our heart, and there can only be one King there. Stripping away all of the excess brings relief, freedom, and life!


PRAY
Father, I am ready to take a hard look at the things cluttering my soul. Guide me in the process of opening the embarrassing places, taking out the contents, and surrendering them to you. I want you to be the King of my heart, so help me strip away everything that completes with your will for my life. Give me new life!


REFLECT
What is one thing that is competing with God for my attention that I need to let go of?

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