“More important than the junk in our homes, what about the junk in our lives?” – unknown.
Everyone has a kitchen junk drawer, which is a jumbled tangle of half-empty lip balm, pencil stubs and mysterious keys, empty pens, old batteries, and any number of things we find expedient to put in a catch-all drawer. The item is forgotten once in the junk drawer until you cannot close the drawer. That is when it is time to dump the contents of the drawer on the counter and sort through all the items to determine what stays, what goes, and what needs to be put somewhere else.
Most of us have a spiritual junk drawer as well. It is a mix of “Christian” stuff we have collected throughout our spiritual life. Spiritual clutter can be defined as thoughts and worries that consume time and energy and can prevent us from living intentionally and spiritually. It can also include unconfessed sins, bitterness, unforgiveness, expectations, grief, faltering relationships, theology questions, etc. There are always more things we should be concerned about, give attention to, and make room for — somehow. Before long, we find our lives full of clutter.
The problem is when our spiritual junk drawer gets so full, there is no room for Jesus anymore. One place that can quickly become cluttered and fall into disrepair is the human heart. No one else can see these things that clutter our hearts. In many cases, we might not even know that they are affecting us, but the stuff in our junk drawer can take up precious real estate in the part of ourselves where God Himself dwells.
To declutter your heart, begin by taking inventory of what you have allowed to enter this precious space. A first step might be looking at how you spend your time and whether or not it adequately reflects what is most important to you. Like an examination of conscience, this is an opportunity to check in with yourself honestly and where you are.
Have we cleared the clutter to make room to read the Bible, meditate on it, listen to what it says to us, and act on it? Is there room in our budgets for ministries and missions?
Do we clear the clutter to make room in our hearts for Jesus to come in and live? Are our lives lived so that others can see evidence of Christ’s Spirit living in us? You know, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
In the process, we rediscover the soul-satisfying simplicity of a God who refuses to fill our lives with junk but instead offers grace upon grace.
Discussion Questions:
- What areas of your life feel most cluttered right now?
- How can you apply the practice of decluttering to your spiritual life?
- What practical steps can you take to declutter your environment and mindset this week?