When I moved into my current apartment many years ago, I rented the smallest u-haul truck available. Even so, that truck was half empty. Having lived in this apartment for decades, I am sure that would no longer be the case! But every couple of years, I take my time and go through my apartment, following some simple rules:
- If I hadn’t used or worn an item for two years, it was no longer of use to me, and therefore, it needs to go.
- If I no longer had any connection to the giver of an item, and I am only holding on to it out of a sense of obligation and not a feeling of pleasure, it needs to go.
- If physical coordination is required to use or to display that item and I no longer have that physical coordination, that thing must go.
- If someone else could use an item better than I can I offer the item as a give-away.
The only items that earned a free pass were some books, photos, and a few keepsakes. Even these things go through scrutiny. I recently gave away Almost all my framed wall art which was stored for years in my closet was either given away or thrown away. I now only have a few art pieces that fit into a dust-free box.
I scoured my photo albums and removed pictures of people I didn’t recognise. I profoundly regret that I did not write an account of who those people were and why I took their photo. Their stories are forever lost.
I hope my memory journal will follow Joshua’s command to the tribes of Israel. They were to carry a stone across the River Jordan and set the stone on the other side as a visible reminder of all God had accomplished. (Joshua 4)
I encourage you to reread the above after asking the Lord for ears to hear. Ask yourself these questions. “Are there physical items holding me back that I need to give away or discard? Is there spiritual clutter in my life? Are there giftings and talents I have allowed to sit on a shelf, collecting dust? Are there important road markers and events in my past that are in danger of being forgotten because I did not set a marker of remembrance?”
I explored every closet, dresser, cupboard, and drawer in my home. I cannot count the amount of kitchen sized garbage bags I filled with items I once thought useful but now were nothing but clutter. I made many trips to the bins outside my building to dump items that wouldn’t fit my garbage chute.
A friend helped me to unload the last few remaining items that were too awkward for me to handle on my own. Those cumbersome items were weighing me down in more ways than one. I knew they needed to go years ago, but I was too proud to ask for help.
I have to admit I am embarrassed by how much clutter I accumulated over the years. I don’t consider myself a packrat. And yet, month by month, year by year, I allowed my personal space to be infringed upon by things I thought to have value at one point but had no lasting value in the long run. I probably will have another purge in a few months, paring back even further. I feel lighter and less anxious!
A question popped into my head. “If you had to evacuate your home in 10 minutes, with no time to organize a moving truck, knowing you would never be able to return, what would you grab?”
After taking a thorough inventory of my possessions over the past month, I would say the following:
- My laptop, smartphone, and charging cables.
- Rudimentary cooking and eating utensils
- My purse and a Bible just in case I couldn’t access the versions downloaded on my phone.
- A suitcase of clothes, toothpaste, toothbrush, and other essential items.
- My leg braces, walker, and a cane.
- A blanket and pillow
- A manila envelope carrying personal ID, insurance papers, and the following two precious items.
1. A yellowed letter, written to me, almost completed, found on my brother’s typewriter. The letter was found a few days after his sudden death. In that letter, he encouraged me in my missionary journeys and told me how proud he was of me.
2. A homemade card a friend made by using the pastel sketches I doodled one day as we sat around her parent’s kitchen table. The creative muse overtook us, although we were supposed to be studying. She saved those sketches and wrote a comical short story for me, presenting it to me years later. These precious people died way too young, and their gifts are treasures I will always keep.
Tell me, what would you take with you? What would no longer be of importance to you? Are the items you once saw as important that you now see as meaningless clutter?
Recommended Reading: Luke 12:13-21 The Rich Fool
Reduce that clutter and be on the alert. God is on the move! Today is the day, do all you need to do so you are prepared. Make sure there is enough oil in your lamps. Make sure you are unencumbered by anything that limits your ability to follow Him at a moment’s notice.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG) – “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.”
All Bible verses, unless otherwise attributed, are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
Until Next Week
©2017 Katherine Walden
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