Stuff. Some of it’s essential, most of it’s fluff. But we are drowning in it.
Our 900 something square feet is jam packed with stuff we don’t ever use, two adults, three children, and two horse-dogs. There is no wiggle room.
You can’t come over because you can’t fit. The laundry on my couch prevents me from answering the door. What if they see my secret shame!?*
My mess prevents me from ministering.
Sometimes we clean and organize for days, put new systems and routines in place, and it works! For a week or so…but then the mess monster reappears, preventing us from reaching out to our neighbors and those passing by.
The FLY lady says: “You can’t organize clutter.”
This truth is apparent as we shuffle the stuff, over and over.
You can’t organize clutter!
The great physician can diagnose the root of your clutter problem, if you prayerfully seek His divine help. The answer always come back to sin. Living in a sinful world, with sinful people, and having a sinful heart causes clutter.
The sin reason is different for every person, and it takes divine help to diagnose the root of the clutter chaos.
Maybe you hold onto stuff because of apathy. Clutter remains because it is easier to keep it on the hanger or sitting on the shelf, than to get rid of it. But is that being a good steward of the things God has given us?
Maybe you hold onto stuff because of things that have happened to you in the past. Have you repeatedly needed something essential that you could not afford? Do you know how it feels to fear for your future because of not having the thing you needed?
Maybe you hold onto stuff because of something from your childhood. Were you raised to hoard your stuff for a rainy day? Was a high value placed on having more stuff than your neighbor?
God, the great physician knows. He remembers, and He sees you and your stuff right now. If you seek His help, He can help you overcome the mess monster that sneaks in and takes over.
Seek the Great Physician for a divine diagnosis.
My diagnosis goes deeper than apathy. I have filled my void with things, instead of the living water my soul desperately cries out for. I have put my trust into the works of my own hands – clinging to every item in case we need it and can’t afford to buy it later – instead of trusting His promise to provide for me. It has left my family surrounded by chaos and left this mama completely outmatched.
But, NO more!
There is hope! Our God is a God of order. He takes my chaos, and aligns me back into order. He promises to provide for me and you! He tells us not to waste our time anxiously worrying about those things. He knows that worrying anxiously is pointless. What we really need is more of Him, our creator, provider, and sustainer.
He knows what we need, before we do. He knew what you were going to worry about, before your mind has time to formulate an anxious thought. He also knows our deepest need, is Him and Him alone. If we seek Him first, to fulfill what we really need, everything else will be taken care of!
“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? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:33)
(<– Click the image for a free printable!)
We have enough of today’s “trouble” juggling our children’s basic needs, managing both homeschool and housework, all while being a help-meet to our husbands and seeking His kingdom first. No room remains for my worry or clutter!
So today starts my first day of intentional decluttering, to remove the chaos from my family’s surroundings. Once the Lord makes it clear why you tend to hold on to things you don’t really need, it is much easier to get rid of the things that you are swimming in.
Is your clutter controlling you, creating chaos in your family’s life, and preventing you from inviting people into your home to minister to them? If so, will you stop what you are doing and ask the Great Physician to diagnose the root of your clutter problem? It is the first step in removing the clutter for good! If you don’t know where to start, here is a sample prayer:
Lord, thank you for being our Great Physician! Thank you for promising to provide for me, and take care of my needs! Father, I have created a house filled with chaos. I have clung to stuff that I do not need. Please reveal to me WHY I keep this stuff that is cluttering our lives. Help me to create a peaceful home, with your guidance, that promotes peaceful living and allows us to invite others in to share your good news and fellowship. In Jesus name, Amen.
I hope you will join me on this challenge to make our homes a peaceful sanctuary! Let me know what the Lord reveals to you about why your cling to your clutter! 🙂
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Tiffany
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