De-cluttering

Last week the munchkin and I were able to visit our family down south. It was a blast! I was able to see some dear friends, meet some new ones, spend time with my precious Mom, and soak in some much needed vitamin D (aka - get a white girl's sunburn).

One of the unique facets of the visit was the near constant threat of needing to evacuate the house. My folks put their house on the market a few days before we arrived, and during our stay, we had to take off for a house showing nearly 8 times! Since houses tend to sell better when there is little paraphernalia laying around, Mom has been de-cluttering for a good month or two.

When I first arrived, I was amazed at how drastically paring down "stuff" had made the house look rather magazine-like. The house looked so much more open, clean, and fresh. No magazines stacked on the table, nothing stored on top of cabinets, only select books were displayed on the bookshelves etc,...it looked fantastic. I was struck by how much "stuff" can take over the nooks and crannies of our homes before we realize we're being overrun. Is it a post-depression era mentality that has caused later generations to hoard? I'm inclined to think that the root of collecting is just plain ole' sin. Mom kept commenting during our visit how much easier life is not having to keep up with so much. This was inspiring.

Returning home, I had a fire burning underneath me to do some de-cluttering of my own. Having had some coaching from Mom, I had to think differently in order to attack our stuff. Do we really use all of our coffee mugs? Do we really need so many papers/pictures/stuff smothering our refrigerator? What exactly is taking up so much space under the bathroom cabinet?! Do we use these products anymore and why are we storing them?

After several hours of work, the house looks SO much better. Hubby and I are happier, too! Having only a year of marriage under our belts, I hope we can train ourselves this early on to assess if anything we bring into our home is necessary, or just junk that will clutter our lives.

As usual, God was up to more than just having me de-clutter, and turned the cleaning process into something spiritual. He brought some questions to my mind:

"What is cluttering my spiritual life? Are there things filling my heart that I need to get rid of? Are there old thoughts or attitudes that need to be kicked out? What lies have I believed that effect the way I act towards others, and ultimately, toward God?"

De-cluttering has looked like:
Remembering Who I belong to and the miraculous gift of salvation. Being thankful for having such a loving husband and precious daughter. Praying like my life depends on it and knowing I won't ever be able to pray enough. Reading the Word and believing it. Rejecting the lies the enemy tries to feed my mind via comparison to others. I need to be faithful to where the Lord has called me and nowhere else.

There is a fresh feeling in both my home and spirit with all this de-cluttering going on. I marvel to think of how closely the physical and spiritual are intertwined. In the future, I will do well to remember that if the home is stuffy, it's probably a reflection of my heart and time to de-clutter.

By way of loving whomever reads this blog, I must ask: Is there any de-cluttering that you need to do?