Over the holidays, Greg decided that this January we would de-clutter the garage. All this stuff! Shelves filled with things we once thought we needed and no longer do, things that are broken, or missing parts.

While I was putting away the Christmas decorations, I had a few minutes to look at what was on the garage shelves and in the cupboards. Here is some of what I found:

  • Old stationary with our address from 20 years ago printed on the envelopes.
  • Boxes filled with mysterious cables and cords—none which fit any of our phones or computers.
  • A shoebox filled with keys . . . to what? I have no idea.
  • A pile of cassette tapes marked “Keep” . . . why would I? We no longer have the means to play them!
  • A fistful of coins from mysterious countries (some I don’t remember having ever visited).

And why did I store this can of paint? There’s barely enough left to cover a postage stamp!

Clutter is the disease of a house. It used to be that when kids grew up and left home, you would downsize and enjoy the clean rooms. But now the clutter just expands. And to my surprise it wasn’t all just Greg’s stuff! It’s easier to see the clutter someone else makes, and not your own.

Clutter is an interesting word. It comes from an old English word, clotter, which means “to clot.” Like a blood clot that blocks an artery and prevents blood from flowing, with disastrous results. In the same way, the clutter in our life slows us down and impedes progress in what we need to be doing.

I might be working in the kitchen and need a specific utensil. I stop my work and go searching for it. In the process of searching for item “A” I discover items B, C, and D. I get so distracted that by the time I find item “A” I’ve run out of time or forgotten why I needed it in the first place!

De-cluttering is hard. It takes a stop-at-nothing ruthless determination to get the job done. I need to ask myself three questions. Do I give it away, put it away, or throw it away?

It is so easy to justify keeping almost anything, but sometimes we need to take a scorched earth policy and put all that clutter in the dumpster.

It helps to remember that Christian life is like a journey.

As I look at what’s before me, I need to keep asking myself, is this really needed on the voyage?

If you’re looking forward to the next life, there’s a lot to be said for traveling light through this one. Let’s clear away the clutter—don’t be afraid to put something in the giveaway or throwaway pile. Perhaps God is asking us to keep less and give away more. To be content with what He has given us. We don’t really need to have more to be more.

Lord, help me get rid of the things that clutter my life and slow me down. Things I think I need, but don’t. And the next time I am tempted to buy something I don’t need (and probably won’t use for long) help me to remember. It’s not what I have, but who I am—and who You are that matters most!

 

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5