The beginning of a new year seems to bring with it a desire for decluttering, organizing, and getting things together. Everyone wants to rid themselves of things in the natural that they no longer need or find useful. There seems to be no place for the old in the new.
When you walk through retail stores this time of year, most
of the items used for organization and storage are placed in the front. You can
find an array of baskets, bins, and tubs- all of which are ready to be used as
you work on finding a place for everything and putting everything in its
place. Social media sites, like
Pinterest, are filled with pins that point the way to printable declutter
calendars, thirty-day declutter challenges, and even tips for what not to do
when you are decluttering.
Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self. -Eleanor Brownn
Decluttering
the physical environment is very necessary, but how much time and energy do we
really devote to decluttering our lives?
Anything or anyone
that drains us, robs us, and hinders us in fulfilling our purpose is clutter.
Consider the following examples:
1.) Having a boyfriend that constantly wants you to
compromise with your body is clutter. This relationship is toxic. It steals
your peace, your purity and your own self from the relationship you share with
God.
2.) Poor money management is clutter. We are simply
stewards. Nothing we have belongs to us. Not properly handling what God places
in our hands and doing what we want with it causes us to be unfaithful
stewards...unfaithful stewards whose
actions are showing God what is really in our hearts.
What clutter
do you need to get rid of?
It could be negative thinking, not getting proper rest, or even improper
eating habits. The list is limitless and different for everyone.
As you embark upon a brand new year, this is the perfect
time to really reflect and ask yourself, "What is in my life that does not support the amazing woman that God has
called me to be?"
Look at what God says about you in His Word:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we
can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)
You are God's
finest. His handiwork. Contrary to what your past or circumstances may say, you
are not a failure. You are not the mistakes you might have made.
You, precious one, are fearfully and wonderfully made. You
are loved by your Father with an unfailing, unconditional love. A love that nothing can separate you from.
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And
we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. (James 1:18 NLT)
God sees you
as a prized possession; a priceless possession indeed.
Anyone or anything that fogs your perception of this truth can be considered as
clutter. And ladies, let me tell you: Clutter
has no purpose but to hold us back as we seek to fulfill our purpose through
the Father. Get rid of the clutter in your life.
As many of you continue to work on removing your physical
space of clutter, make sure to also set aside the time to ask God to show you
the rest of the clutter in your life that needs to go. He desires to do
something so amazingly new in your life. And sometimes, the old can do nothing
but build walls and blind us from what God desires to do.
Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things
of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not
know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
(Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV)
Ask God for His guidance as you let go of the old and embrace the new.