There’s much freedom in simplicity. Decluttering our life is vital.
We accumulate stuff mindlessly. A discount here, a clearance there… and we need a semi-truck to move houses. We tell ourselves “We are not hoarders. We are smart shoppers.” And here we are wasting 30 minutes to find the keys, the outfit, the screwdriver, or the bandaid. God forbid we are searching for a document we shoved alongside doodled papers, old bills, greeting cards, and sentimental notes we feel guilty to discard.
Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizer, declutters homes by categories, not by rooms. Her first step is convicting. She’d insist to collect every piece of clothing from every closet, drawer, hamper, laundry basket, and storage bin. Only when you bring it all to the middle, we own it “We are hoarders.” It’s visually upsetting the pile of clothes overflowing the bed like boiling-angered milk.
Stuff. We get it. We maintain it. We fix it. We upgrade it. We get lost in it. “Stuff” is time consuming. It’s not only our physical space that needs de-junking. It’s our phones. It’s our online and offline “stuff”. It’s our planners. Even our relationships.
Jesus warned someone fighting with his brother about not sharing their “accumulated stuff” in Luke 12:13-21 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
John Eldredge said it well. “Everyone has a junk drawer in the kitchen for pencils, notes, tape, blue-tack, scissors, keys. A black hole. So does our soul have unnecessary junk that needs decluttering.”
We expect sparks of joy from our daily Bible reading. Instead, we are bored because we rush through it. We investigate diets, and sports with more depth, while brushing aside what may seem familiar stories of the Bible.
Our prayers feel more like business meetings with God. We hand him over the tasks in bullet points to save time, hoping to maintain David’s reputation “I am a man of prayer.” (Psalm 109:4)
Let’s put in the work to eliminate clutter and hurry in our lives. “Stuff” keeps us occupied. Hence, we believe we are productive, but the devil just keeps the believer busy. And busyness is a silent faith killer, like a silent heart attack.
Before Sabbath for the soul, there must be preparation to make space for Jesus. “This is what the Lord commanded the Israelites: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” (Exodus 16:23 ESV)
- Do an honest evaluation of your home, activities, relationships, and habits (physical and spiritual).
- Be prayerful of what you need to get rid of. If you don’t get rid of things, it’s not decluttering. It’s re-organizing clutter. Don’t expect different results.
- Pace yourself. Declutter one “drawer” at a time, instead of one “room” at a time. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
- There’s freeing joy in simplicity. Give it a try.
- Make space for Jesus. Have a basket to keep your Bible, journal, crayons, Sunday notes, a book you read for your spiritual growth. Set an alarm for that time you carve in the day that will be focused on him.
King Josiah, at the age of 26, decided to declutter, and refurbish the Temple. He sent the secretary, the high-priest, the builders, to clean up and restore the run down place intended for God. Only then, the high-priest found the Book of the Law. “Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.” 2 Kings 22:8 NIV
Where’s your Bible? Could you find it with your eyes closed? How would this next year look like if you decluttered and refurbished the time, the space, and the things that belong to the Lord…
Simplicity is spacious. Make room for a focused, and undivided space for Jesus today. Not on Monday. Not as a New Year resolution. Right now.
Let’s declutter our homes, simplify our lives, and make space for Jesus.