The costs of clutter can be deceiving. What may look like a minor mess or something we start stepping over on a daily basis, actually saps our energy and willpower. I know sometimes when I look at the pile of mail I need to go through, I can’t even start because I’m so weary of making decisions all day. Then I go into the process of mentally beating myself up over what I believe needs to get done. This then spirals to impacting the faith I have that my dreams will ever come to pass. If I can’t even get through the junk mail, how can I have the energy to pursue my dreams?
Last week, I wrote about clutter in our home, our heart, and our mind. This post, expands on that. With looking at our physical space, our mental space and our spiritual space.
Physical Space
The physical space is any area where we are work, play or stay. It could be my office covered in unfinished projects, sitting half done and no idea where to start. The feelings of helplessness begin to mount in relation to the height of my piles. I joked with my husband, this is called my horizontal filing system. I know where everything is, until I don’t, which if I’m honest with myself is most of the time.
I need to commit to working on my clutter a little bit each day. Starting with a prayer that goes something like this, “Lord, I know this clutter is costing me time with you and the pursuit of the dreams put in my heart. Please show me what is weighing me down and help me to release it the trash, to a charity, or to a friend. Please grant me wisdom about what is keeping me from being the woman you created me to be.” Change this prayer up to fit your challenges with physical space and how God is speaking to your heart.
Mental Space
The second area to overcome clutter is our mental space. Essentially, we need to get rid of our stinking thinking. Two weeks ago my daughter picked up her yearbook. As we’re looking through the group photos, I asked if she was in the one of the honor class. Her response was, “I’m in there, but like usual, I’m small so no one noticed me.”
I immediately turned to her and asked if that was a positive way to think about herself. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “No, probably, not.”
I then followed up with, “So, what makes it okay to say that?”
Her response, floored me, she said, “Because it’s easy to believe.”
Oh, my heart ached for her and also for myself because I have thought the same thing. It’s so much easier to believe the harsh, cruel words hurled at us than the words of comfort, caring and love God has written to us in His Word.
This is the work of the enemy my friend.
God created us in His image and He doesn’t create junk. In Proverbs 23:7, it says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” We need to bring our thinking inline with how God thinks about us because if we don’t we are headed in a dangerous direction of believing the wounds we received are just and true. Run, don’t walk towards clearing your mental space with God.
Spiritual Space
The last area is our spiritual space. In a way, is part of mental space. We have an internal dialogue where we easily believe the negative thoughts. We need to have faith that God has already overcome the author of all our spiritual clutter. God is not a God of confusion, but a God a clarity. 1 Corinthians 14:33, (NLT), says, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.”
God wants to help us, but He won’t force Himself into our lives. He gives us all the space we need, but He is never farther away than a prayer or even a grown. He understands every tear, every sorrow, every hurt in our lives, but we must separate out the lies. The lies are the clutter that stop us from reaching out to God. There is nothing, absolutely nothing we do which surprises God. He already knows our past, present, and future. Let’s be perfectly clear, He gave up His son for us. He has already given us everything we could ever need. All we need to do is clear out the spiritual space to let go of what is holding us back and give it over to God.
As it proclaims in Isaiah 61:3, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.” Look for the beauty He can make of the ashes or the clutter of our lives.
Share in the comments below how you clear out your clutter so can encourage others on their journey.