I
don’t know about you gals, but the Kathi Lipp video was exactly what I needed
this morning. Yesterday was a tough day emotionally and the clutter that was
consuming my home turned me from emotional to grumpy to darn right mean in
the time it took me to walk from one end of my home to the other. I was so
overwhelmed by the piles, the projects, and the things I needed to do that I
lost all motivation to do any of it. Everything seemed monumental and too
much. Shoveling it into a giant dumpster seemed like an easier task than
simply putting it away.
This
defeated feeling was so frustrating because organizing and decluttering have
always been a favorite of mine! I was that girl growing up that would take
absolutely everything out of my room and start from scratch, going through
every drawer and box and rearranging my room until I found joy in how it
looked.
So
why do I have such a hard time now?! Why does my home continually look like
some magic genie came and transported articles from one room to another,
right before a massive nuclear bomb went off?!!
I
know I am not alone in the feelings of complete frustration that happen after
a long day of cleaning and organizing, you turn around to catch a break and
BAM...disaster strikes again!
Those
sweet little dears....
But
then again, nothing breaks my heart more than having to tell my kids “not
right now” or “I can’t play because I have to do chores...”. I’m tired of the
time it takes to manage our stuff and keep it cleaned up and organized. I
want to be able to tell my son “heck yes I will play Legos with you!” without
feeling the guilt of towering dirty dishes, scum ringed toilets, or the
mountains of laundry.
Now
where to begin? Naturally my thoughts turn straight to Pinterest where I have
quite a good organization board going, and those great books I have on the
subject of decluttering speak great ideas and solutions to help the drowning
woman. But I’ve realized this time around that I need to start at the
heart....my heart.
I
have an addiction to the high of a great purchase. Not just any buy, but the
great deal buy. I’m pretty sure my gravestone could easily say “But it was
only $2.00!”. Hi, my name is Mallory and I’m a thrift store junky. I love the
hunt, and saying no to that random something that is just too amazing to pass
up because it’s just so cheap is my downfall. So, I bring it home, put it
where it needs to go and the piles increase.
Whether
it’s the great deal, the freebie, the happiness or keeping up with the
Joneses, we all have our justifications for buying that something.
But what if we stepped back, looked around our home
and saw all the stuff that was holding us back from living our best life, and
decided to make a change so that sitting on the floor playing block towers
with your toddler didn’t mean neglecting anything else; to really be in that
precious moment without being distracted by our own leaning towers of
clutter?
Never
a better time to start than in the New Year! I want this year to be the
year of saying “NO” to the clutter, to the managing of stuff and impulsive
buys! Remembering that clutter in our homes actually manifests itself in our
attitudes and hearts!
Just
like Kathi said, just take 15 minutes today to start somewhere! Clear out a
closet, a drawer, or simply your diaper bag. Only keep those items that you
truly need or bring you joy! I’m thinking about my closet right now
knowing I could easily fill a bag with all the items that no longer bring me
joy, and don’t even get me started with the toy situation in our home. Grab
your laundry basket and walk your sweet home, filling it with things that
aren't where they belong and put them away! Scroll Pinterest for easy
organizing ideas and start a declutter challenge! Ask a friend for help.
Organizing and decluttering your home is way more fun with a friend and a box
of chocolates (cleaning burns calories :) you’re welcome).
But
remember that it has to start from the heart first to make a real change in
your life. Ask God to help you see through the mess to what’s important, ask
for strength and patience with yourself, ask for perseverance and some
blessed energy to tackle your home. Remember grace for yourself that it won’t
happen overnight and you’ll probably buy something in the next week you don’t
need. But also Remember the reasons you want to make your home a sanctuary
for your family. Think of all the time you will have to do the things that
really matter when you are not slaving away managing all the stuffs. When you
get rid of the stuffs, you can make room for something better.
“Choose
today who you will serve. But for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
For He alone is our God!”
Joshua 24:15,18
“Clutter
is anything that doesn’t bring you joy and stands in the way of the things
that do.”
-Leah Martin
“We
were never meant to live a life accumulating stuff. We were meant to live
simply enjoying the experiences of life, the people of life, and the journey
of life- not the things of life.”
-Joshua Becker
|
-Mallory
