Unclutter
No man that warreth entangeleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. – 2 Timothy 2:4
My daughter has several “collections” throughout her home: Italian dishes, forged aluminum pieces, pictures of family, bookcases full of rare and old
books, and an assortment of rag dolls. When I mentioned that the house seemed rather cluttered, my granddaughter said, “Well, Gram, I wonder where
she got that trait?” Since she was referring to me, I took special note of her words, and made a decision to “unclutter” my own home.
A few simple decisions made a considerable impact on how much stuff was filling up the space in my home. I have a large family, so I decided to display
group pictures and family portraits rather than individual photos. Some of my clocks and other items went to the Goodwill. All those precious gifts
of knick-knacks from family were packed away, and I will set out just two or three at a time. Some of my unused kitchen gadgets will go to outfit
my grandson’s new apartment. He will not have to buy a thing!
As I worked at this project to rid my home of unnecessary items, it reminded me of the habits that tend to attach themselves to people’s daily lives—habits
we could well do without. I wondered if perhaps my life could use some uncluttering. If so, where should I start? I knew I could use more time
for prayer, Bible study, and projects more profitable for the Lord, so I began by prioritizing my days.
The first to go was news watching. I decided that once a day is plenty for me, and reading the headlines in the paper fills in the gaps. Dinners at
the table became an opportunity for discussion of the upcoming Sunday school lesson or that day’s devotional. Less time on the phone gave me more
time for other pursuits such as writing a card or note to someone who could use encouragement.
It feels so good to walk into the rooms of my home now and see uncluttered spaces. Better yet is the quiet peace I have since I got rid of the clutter
in my daily life.
How about you? Does your life feel cluttered? Try going through your day’s schedule to find activities that you can eliminate or plan better. Uncluttering
is not always simple, but it is very comfortable once it is done. And it pleases the Lord, “who hath chosen” us, and makes us better able to follow
Him.