Declutter: To simplify or get rid of mess, disorder or complications.
I’m sure you’d agree that there is a lot of messiness, disorder and complications in life. Certainly many women agreed with that sentiment at the women’s event last night held at St Nicholas in Christchurch.
Margot Frei from The Bloom Project spoke to us about what causes clutter – and what it says about our psychology. It was really interesting to think about the many reasons why we hold on to things.
It might be the emotional connection to the item or memory it holds, because we think we’ll get round to using it sometime in the future, or maybe because we don’t want to waste anything. But whatever the reason, clutter means we find it hard to live in the present. Margot provided us with some really helpful, practical solutions to working through clutter – with the quote “a place for everything and everything in it’s place”.
For example, here were her ideas for decluttering kids artworks:
- Create a display wall in your home using pegs or string and hang artworks there for a period of time, a week or month.
- Take photos of your child’s artwork and then create calendars, photo books or other keepsakes for family members that use less physical space!
- Involve your kids in the process, ask them to choose their favourites and create a collection of those.
Or her tips for organising your bathroom:
- Regularly throw out everything that has expired
- Group like items using cutlery draws or other plastic organisers
- Don’t double up on items which can be really hard to do
- Utilise the back of cupboard doors better using racks, plastic shoe organisers for bottles or other items
Margot is a Christian, and so it was really encouraging to hear her speak about the dissatisfaction of collecting stuff and filling our homes with clutter from a Christian worldview. You can read more about her decluttering and styling tips here. Does anyone know someone like her in Australia?
But cluttering isn’t just an outside problem – we have cluttered our hearts and minds too. Sarah spoke clearly and with great love from Luke 12:16-21 and the futility of storing up possessions in this life without preparing for the next:
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Sarah challenged everyone to consider whether they’re rich towards God. Not in monetary terms, but whether they want to know him, have a relationship with him, listen to him and follow him. Life is not found in the abundance of our possessions, but in our relationship with God through his son Jesus.
Many people in Christchurch feel the burden of moving regularly as their homes are being rebuilt. Or as they support elderly parents, friends and family through the rebuilding process. Many are also grieving those who were killed in the earthquakes.
Sarah genuinely implored everyone there to consider where they stand with God were they to die tonight. Trust in Jesus is the only thing that we can take with us, and he guarantees us eternal life in relationship with him. That’s the richest we will ever be!
I was personally really encouraged by this event, and it was particularly wonderful to see many visitors there. One lady came along after meeting some of the team when they door knocked her house during the day! Give thanks for many prayers answered in the night, and please pray God will bring the women who came along into a relationship with him.
Read more . . .