This is what happens in our house, once a month when the cleaning lady comes. During the rest of the month, unless we are having guests over, all the toys and things stay out. This is something that is helpful to O and his SPD. To have these things, these sensory anchors, out and ready for him, makes him feel comfortable and regulated. While we continue to work on the idea of putting away one toy before taking another one out, it is often difficult. It is a work in progress, and sometimes he really just needs his stuff.
I had become used to living with all this clutter, or so I thought. I had fooled myself into thinking that I was okay with this stuff...everywhere. We had learned how to step over it and walk around it. We could navigate through the kitchen without tripping over the Island of Sodor. We didn't use the area of the living room floor that was taken up by the Lego Duplo Zoo.
It was okay. We were getting around it. We were content with it. It wasn't perfect, but it was working.
When we got it all cleaned up, I can't explain to you how different I felt. The sense of peace. The sense of calm that came over me when I walked into the living room the morning after we cleaned, and didn't have to step over or around anything. I could once again see our living space.
Don't our lives get cluttered like that, too? At times we have so much stuff taking up our life that we can't see the core of it. We can't see God's waiting arms. We can't see Him because He's hidden behind the other stuff. Of course He's still there, but we are not developing our relationship with Him because we are always stepping over or around something else. There is too much in the way.
It just got me thinking, not only do I have to clear the clutter out of my house, but also the clutter out of my life. Those relationships that aren't working or are bringing me down. Those frustrations at work. Those lies that Satan continues to tell me. When we let these these things stay around, we start to focus on them. We start to believe the lies. Just like when we had all that stuff on the floor, it became part of the norm. It didn't stand out as different anymore. We accepted it.
But, we can't continue to accept it and live a life of peace. In order to get rid of it, we have to recognize it as unnecessary and atypical.
A couple Sundays ago, the pastor who is currently serving in our church spoke about leadership. He used the text of Titus to share the qualities of a good leader. One of the necessary values was knowledge of the Bible. Complete understanding of the truth found in God's word. He explained the importance of this knowledge by using the analogy of someone who is an expert in counterfeiting. A person in this position has to know real money, inside and out, so that he can easily recognize the fake.
I think the same is true for us. We need to know what's real, so that when those lies, those things that are trying to deceive us, come in, we are able to see them. By clearing the clutter from our lives, we are able to see the truth. And, therefore more easily recognize the lies.
At the beginning of this year, I completed a 20-day devotional created by She Reads Truth. I saved this passage from Day 17. I thought it fit very nicely with this post.
We aren’t beautiful, unbreakable jars holding clay, we are frail, weak jars made of clay.
And yet we’re holding God’s richest and most glorious treasure.
Let’s thank Him for our cracks. Let’s thank Him that outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Find your treasure. Begin by clearing the clutter from your life. Start today. I plan to.
and now it's time for...
the Saturday Morning Coffee Blog Hop!
It's Saturday Morning!
Why not do a little blog hopping before your day gets started?
Meet your Host
MORGAN at Quite the Blog
And your Co-Host (ME!)
HOW IT WORKS:
- Follow host and co-hosts on Google Friend Connect (GFC)
- Add the "Saturday Morning Coffee" button to your Saturday blog post (your post can be about anything)
- Add your blog link to the bottom
- Tweet about it!
- Share it on Facebook!
- Go see what your fellow Saturday Morning Coffee blog hops are up to!
- Have fun!
Happy Saturday!
6 comments:
Great post! I love what you said about clearing out the things and people in your life that aren't working.
Great post! I need to work on the cleaning out the clutter in my life too. Something I hope to work on in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
Theresa
Hi Sybil. This is my first time visiting you. I followed you via FB. I hope you will come over to my place too.
When I saw the title of your post, I assumed you had linked up with The Faith Barista on Thursday because her prompt was CLUTTER. :-) I wrote about this subject too.
I function better with less clutter, though it is almost impossible to escape it all.
Have a great Saturday!
Sybil, I recognize what you write! And the biblical lesson: O yes ... I will clearing the clutter from my life.
I love this!
We have recently started to clear out the clutter in our lives.
We downgraded our cable, I got rid of my smartphone (which you can read about here: http://islestyleliving.blogspot.com/2013/01/dumbing-down.html), and scraped a bunch of resolutions.
I was so busy. All the time. But not very productive.
PS- I'm your newest follower from the Saturday Morning Blog Hop!
Hi Sybil, thank you for this post I found you at Inspire Me Monday and you certainly inspired me. Have a blessed week. Tara.
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