I spent last Friday pulling everything out of the bathroom closets and cupboards and putting them into a big pile. The Friday before that, I did the same with my clothes.
Yup, I’ve been bitten by the Marie Kondo bug.
The concept, keep what you love and get rid of what you don’t has transformed my home. Instead of closets 125% full, they’re 80% full.
Little boxes make it easy for me to get things back into their right places. (Ask my husband, something I’m not known for.) Rolling clothes makes it easy to identify what’s in the drawer.
All the bags I threw away or donated, I don’t even miss. Stuff upon stuff clogged my life. I realized I don’t need more stuff. I need less stuff so I can enjoy the things I already own.
My daughter sent me this song to listen to this morning.
The Answer by Shane and Shane.
I’ve tried more of me
And I come up dry
Trading you for things
Things that go
My happiness is found in less of me
And more of you
My happiness is found in less of me
And more
It made me wonder if maybe I need less in my heart. Less of me. Less of busyness. Less work, effort and less striving after the wind–things that don’t matter in the end.
What if I apply the principles of Marie Kondo to my heart. So I have more room for the things that really matter to me. Jesus. Love. Family. Friends.
3 Questions for a Decluttered Heart
- Are our heart’s full of trying to make ourselves happy with food, possessions, recognition, rest, or entertainment?
- Does our hearts look like my closet did a few weeks ago? Overstuffed as we try and fit bits of Jesus into an already full space?
- Have we cleared out the clutter? All the stuff that side-tracks us so I have room for more of Jesus. More time to love lavishly. More time to be rested and full so we can extend grace and kindness to others.
I love how you tied this in with Marie Kondo’s method of decluttering. Yes I own way too many things, things that clutter my living space. I too am now decluttering by using Marie Kondo’s decluttering method, and it is working. The more things I get rid of the happier I seem to be. I like having empty spaces in my living area. So why shouldn’t I use this same concept in my spiritual life? I will take to heart your suggestions. Thank you.
I believe in this wholeheartedly! Great pics to go along with this post. What else are we going to do in February?? Declutter!
Love this application Nancy…good thoughts!
This is why I really look forward to empty nesting. One of our daughters is compulsive. She compulsively eats and steals others’ belongings. After several therapists who have all given up, and several years of battles, we have turned to locking everything up. So, the part of our home that is out in the open is lovely (most of the time) but the rest of the house (especially ur bedroom) is packed to the rafters with things that don’t belong there, but must be, to stay safe. I look forward to everything having its own proper place, someday.