“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.”
Mother Teresa
Clutter is the antithesis of freedom for me. Yesterday my husband and I were discussing our negative habits that prevent us from being more productive and fulfilling God’s destiny. At the top of my list is clutter on my desk. I need to put into place systems of organization to stay on top of all my paper clutter. (Please send me any tips that work for you!)
Clutter drags me down and depresses me. It causes stress and prevents productivity. When I’m disorganized, I waste time looking for things and the ease of completing tasks is hijacked. Instead of running on a flat track, there is clutter to hurdle. In contrast, I experience peace when things have found their proper home.
The word “clutter” is derived from the Middle English word, “clotter,” which means to coagulate. That’s exactly how I feel when surrounded by clutter: stuck. The other day, the Lord spoke to me in regards to clutter. He said I have no idea the extent to which clutter has weighed me down and held me back. He went on to encourage me that when I de-clutter my environment, I will have much more freedom, focus, and energy.
There are other areas of our lives that could use a healthy dose of spring cleaning. Our minds can easily become cluttered with our “to do” list, wondering how our loved ones are doing, and even the normal cares of life which can cause us to worry or become anxious. Matthew 6:33 is Jesus’ solution to our worries. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Besides our minds and our physical surroundings, clutter can take residence within our hearts. Unforgiveness can cause us to be stuck, holding us back from becoming Christ-like. When our hearts are cluttered with offense, we are the ones held captive. Anger, resentment, jealousy, rejection, shame and bitterness are just a few of the emotions that can clutter our hearts and rob us of our peace.
We deal with heart clutter in the same way we deal with physical clutter. We either find a home for it and process our hearts, or we let go of it and toss it into the trash. We need to grieve our loss, pour out our hearts to God, repent of our sin, and let go of offense and forgive. In Luke 6:37, God promises what will happen when we forgive. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” We will experience God’s forgiveness when we extend our hand of forgiveness. When we do this, our peace will be restored. We will also experience greater freedom in Christ and a release to be who God created us to be.
Anyone ready for some early spring cleaning? Let’s dig in and de-clutter our hearts and minds and experience more freedom as we have less clutter.
“Freedom does not mean I am able to do whatever I want to do. That’s the worst kind of bondage. Freedom means I have been set free to become all that God wants me to be, to achieve all that God wants me to achieve, to enjoy all that God wants me to enjoy.”
Warren Wiersbe
Relevant Reflections:
What is cluttering your mind and heart?
How does God specifically want you to de-clutter those areas?