Are you a Marie Kondo fan? Whether or not you agree with her unique and somewhat controversial approach to de-cluttering, she does have some wisdom we can borrow. Here are some of her great tips:
1. Take everything out of the closets and cupboards
Examining it all, digging through the forgotten boxes in all the nooks and crannies of every closet and corner helps us see the excess we have been living with. Ms. Kondo is the expert at making sure that no closet goes unexamined, no storage basket is left unturned.
2. Evaluate each item
You may not want to ask if this item is “bringing you joy”, because really, does any item bring the joy we crave? But it is certainly helpful to ask ourselves this question, “Does keeping this still serve me and add to my life in some way?” or perhaps, “Is this something I want to carry into the future with me?”
3. Thank and then dispose of those things which are not bringing positive value to your life.
Is it just taking up precious real estate in your closet or storage room? Is there guilt associated with this item because you spent good money on it and you don’t want to be wasteful? Is it something from the past which holds you back rather than allowing you to move forward in your life? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you can be grateful for the lessons they have taught you and give yourself permission to get rid of these items.
Picture of me evaluating one part of my sweater collection.
This is an excellent approach to doing an audit of your environment and we can use some of these same principles to aid us in doing an internal check-up as well. We can take all of the stuff we carry around in our hearts and minds, bring them out into the open, evaluate and release those things which prevent us from living freely and lightly as Jesus promises in Matthew 11:29,30
“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
How about the accumulation of possessions, the insatiable desire for more? What does this reveal about our heart and where our security lies?
Is the armor we wear around our hearts, which we have used as a protection, serving us or holding us back?
How about that anger which lives just below the surface? Where is that coming from? What is the underlying, hidden thing which keeps fuelling this emotion?
Daily scrolling on Instagram can bring up the envy we so desperately try to hide. Is this blinding us to all the good we already possess?
How has pride kept you from revealing you true self to others, preventing deep and satisfying relationships?
Just like Marie respectfully walks homeowners through this process on her popular Netflix show, Tidying Up, we have our friend Jesus to help us on this internal journey of de-cluttering.
As we pull out all our accumulated “junk” He is with us and views us with love and compassion. He desires for us a life free of barriers and blockages keeping us from the life He has in store for us.
We can pray this prayer as we go through this process of a soul check-up:
Empty out the blockages,
And the walls of my own construction
Which I have built for protection from the
Mighty power of you.
Come sweep away the debris of my faulty and collapsed ways of living.
Wind of the Spirit come gather the dust in a mighty storm,
Send it to the ends of the earth,
And clear a space for yourself.
Spirit, come and bring fresh life.
Amen.
If you would like to follow along with my Lenten practise of purging the closet and soul, join me over on Instagram where I post a new IGTV each week to tackle a vice along with a portion of the closet. As we head toward Easter and seek to make room for resurrection and new life, this may be a helpful tool to open up more space for God. I would love to journey through this with you.
Follow along here: https://www.instagram.com/gr8fulwanderer/channel/
Photos by: Sarah Brown(unsplash), author, Sarah Talunay (unsplash)
