Sometimes I open a closet and am astounded at how much unnecessary stuff has accumulated, that we don't need and wouldn't miss, but just can't bring ourselves to get rid of.
I have to confess, I am a pack rat. I have boxes full of little notes from people, awards I won in high school, pins I used to collect, etc ad nauseum. And I never look at any of it. But it's there if I ever felt the urge to relive the good old days. Which I might. You never know...
But the point is that I don't. And I should be able to part with these things, but I have difficulty letting go. I've realized that as detached as I consider myself to be, there are still so many things in my life that I couldn't bear to part with. Have you played that Game, the one where your house is on fire and you can only grab ONE THING? I'm terrible at this game. Well, I should say I used to be terrible at it. Now I grab my son. Period. But I'm the one that, after Matthew is safely outside in the arms of the firefighter, I go BACK IN to the burning ruins to scour for those things that somehow make my life livable...
Or do they? If I had, had, HAD to, I could let go. But since I don't have to, I'd rather just hold on to my memories, thank you.
And then, out of the blue, I read this: "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new!" (Isaiah 43:18-19). But Lord, I was comfortable with the way things were. I liked the familiar.
And then He rocks my world, flips it on its head, changes something radically. And I learn to let go of the unimportant, the trivial. It's time to step into a new day of freedom.
So as Jonathan and I worked to de-clutter our home (and hopefully benefit people in need as a result), it has a similar effect of de-cluttering my spirit. As I let go of physical things I don't really need or want, I ponder in my heart the spiritual weights that keep me in bondage. I let go of those too.
And by doing both, I breath a little easier, feel a little lighter, and look forward to something new.
Don't ya just love de-cluttering? It gives me such a sense of satisfaction and I feel so clean and empty afterward...but in a good way. Refreshed. I think I'm almost getting to the point where I could de-clutter my apartment...almost. Or maybe I just need a bigger place. ;) It took us so long to fill it up!
ReplyDeleteI love your honesty about decluttering. There are some things that are harder to let go, but for me, the process grows me more than I can plan on. I've never really regretted anything I've let go of materially, Like you said, it declutters my spirit as well and simplifies my life immensely. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Gaby! This was way, way awesome. Totally needed to hear this. Never stop being yourself! :-)
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