Do You Have Too Much Stuff?

We’ve been talking about taking our thoughts captive, see Are You Scatterbrained?
and how noise effects our ability to bring our thoughts captive, See Getting Past the Noise—the Value of Silence.
We talked about how our busy-ness can hinder us from even praying and talking with God, see Too Much Stress. 

Today, we want to address our clutter.
You ask, “How does clutter have anything to do with our spirituality?”
A LOT!
Studies have shown our clutter adds to our anxiety, stress and feelings of overwhelm, (even our children are stressed by too many toys and choices.)
We can’t commune with God, because our stuff hinders us from getting passed it!

My sister recently introduced me to The Minimalist Mom You tube 
She describes why she became a minimalist. She could not manage her inventory.
She describes it like this: 
Everything in your house is telling you something.
Whether it’s a dirty pan by your kitchen sink telling you, “Wash me, why did you leave me to soak?” Or a vase of flowers that says, “Our Creator is so original and great. Wasn’t that a nice gift. Aren’t those great colors!”
Everything speaks.
Everything gives a message, even when it's tucked away in a closet or under your bed.
Like that blouse you bought on clearance, because it was such a deal, but you never wear. Now it tells you, “You wasted money on me. You must wear this blouse, even though you really don’t like how it looks on you.”
Those messages are not forgotten by your brain. 
They hang over you: some remind of good times, others scream that you haven’t finished that project, or even started it. 

Nowhere is this more evident than in your closet, where hangs things you bought, maybe on a whim, that didn’t really fit, doesn’t look right on you, you don’t wear, but there it hangs to remind you of your poor purchases. Or that you don’t fit in that size anymore.
The Minimalist Mom gives us permission to let those things go. 
Holding onto something because you spent money on it doesn’t help you now.
Get rid of them.
As you get rid of those things that don’t fit or don’t wear, you gain freedom—freedom not to have to spend time every day figuring out what to wear, because what you have left will be those things you enjoy. 

Be ruthless in decluttering. 
When she scaled down her closet, she spent less time getting dressed and more time doing her day.

By scaling down to only enough place settings for her family of six, she noticed how there couldn’t be stacks of dishes to be done—because she only had a few. They were easier to do.
If they didn’t wash their dish at breakfast, they wouldn’t have a dish to use at lunch.
Her inventory was manageable. (She does keep extra stored in her basement for guests.)
(Maybe you may have space to store things, but still your brain must remember you have it.
And where you put it. That gives an excuse to overspend.
She used this process to help get out of debt.

What happens when we free ourselves of our clutter? 
We have more energy for what is important.
Research has shown, removing clutter makes us more creative. 
We can do what we should.
We spend less time cleaning, because we aren’t moving things, we are actually just cleaning.
We spend less money, because we evaluate whether this new purchase really is needed and wanted.

I decluttered a lot when we moved. But it was surprising how much I brought with me!
Our needs are different. Our family is smaller.
Without land, we don't need fencing material, or animal care, or ...
I let it go.
Even though I don't have chickens anymore, I still struggled getting rid of my chicken feeder!
Why is that?
Is that something I NEED now? NO!

My house is for living, not storing.

I've also not just decluttered for me—I don't want my family to have to do it later.
I've heard stories of grown children having to declutter their parents house (where they lived for 50 years).
No one lives close. No one wants anything. No one has time.
It's a stress!
When I've saved things for the boys for when they're "old enough", they don't want it.
Ask now and get rid of it.

SEE ARTICLES: Less Is More, Don’t Carry More than You Need, The Simple Life,

What does clutter have to do with obeying Christ?
Everything!
When we are bogged down with all this stuff—we can’t rest.
We can’t meditate.
We can’t even consider giving to God, we’re in debt to the world.
We are a slave to our things.
They master us.
And God tells us ​No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24.

Interesting how our stuff effects our spiritual life.
George Mueller, whose life was spent in prayer, didn't do anything without praying about it.
He told his wife to get rid of her "bobbles" (her family heirlooms).
Our bobbles or stuff hinder our prayers.
Ever be praying and think, "I need to buy milk" or "this thing would help make this better?"—I'm supposed to be praying! And I'm thinking about stuff!!
Our stuff hinders our prayers—not just the stuff we have, but the stuff we want!
I thought about my many "bobbles" when I was working through my decluttering. 
It was still hard to let them go.
It showed me how attached to this world I am!

We’ve attached value, not just monetary, but sentiment to our stuff.
We hang onto a memory.
Our kitchens are the worse.
Did you used to make bread, but haven’t in 10 years? 
Those bread pans can go.
I struggle for that “once a year” time when all the boys come.
Do I keep all that for just once a year, or let it go and make do for that one time?
Maybe put it in storage?
By keeping it, I must move it, look at it and struggle with it for a year—for that one time I will use it.

I’m used to stockpiling groceries.
We lived an hour from shopping and I’d shop once a month.
If we ran out, we went without until I could go again. (You can get very creative when you have to.)
I still have that mentality. Only Walmart is 5 minutes away.
Things get lost in the back of my cupboard.
I’m working to minimize my food storage—to a manageable amount.
What’s a manageable amount? 
If I can’t find what I know I have, IT'S NOT MANAGEABLE.

Nowhere is this more evident, then in my refrigerator. 
Stuff goes bad because I’ve forgotten it.
Wasted. 
Remember how everything speaks to you?
It tells me, “You’ve forgotten me again. You wasted more money! When will you learn not to get so much?”
As I’ve gone through this process of getting rid of stuff, I don’t buy as much.
I find ways to use what I have, rather than get a special gadget to do one thing.
I gained space.
And breathing room. 
Makes it easier and more pleasant to make meals.
Having my counter clutter free makes me SMILE.

I often listen to “The Minimalist Mom” you-tube as I decluttered. She has many videos. 
She helps with children's toys and clothes. (I'd done that in the past. It saved my sanity.)
She addresses sentimental things and books.
She helps with the psychological hang-ups of getting rid of stuff.
And she motivates until you are free of its burden.
Normally you go through your house one room at a time, one drawer at a time, then go back over the same drawer later. She calls it the "onion effect".
Maybe that onion effect is because you remember what you left in the drawer and think about whether you could part with it or not, even as you move to a different drawer. (So much energy is spent.)
Do it in 15 minutes increments. It is exhausting!
A faster way to declutter is to ask, "What can I do without?"
By asking,"What can I do without?" you jump past the question, "Do I need this?"  or "Do I use this?" To find ways you can use less.
Most of us aren't ready for that. We have to develop, "decluttering muscles"—confidence in our decision to part with an item.
If you are not currently using an item, it must go in one of three places: a trash bag, a donation box or a “time will tell” box.
A “time will tell” box is for those things you aren’t sure you will use in a year.
Date it. Put that box in storage. If you don’t use it within a year, donate it. 
But in the meantime, you will have space in your cupboards. 
By minimizing what stays, storage is enough (even in this old house with small closets and little storage).
Things are easy to put away (without jamming) and find (so you don’t buy duplicates because you can’t find the one you already had).

And you do find giving your stuff to someone who will actually use it is rewarding.
When we moved, we put our stuff on the roadside in front of our house.
People were ecstatic to stop and get furniture free!
It was during COVID, when shops were closed, and people were stuck in their houses. 

When unexpected visitors come, your house is ready for them.
You have time for what is important.
Your house becomes a sanctuary—a place to rest.
You can listen to what God—not what your stuff—is saying.

I write about what matters...to you---
women, wives and moms---
about your family, faith and future.
I write about what's hard, what helps and what heals.
I show you how it's done. And not done.
I hold your hand as you find what matters to the Savior.
And let go of those things that mattered to you, but not to Him.
I write about what matters...to Him.
               Sonya Contreras

Faith
Find more articles about faith here:
The Need for Meaning Even in Pain
Reminders of What's Important
God's Unmeasurable Love
A Quarter of a Century Spent for Our Country
What Were You Thinking?
Who Are You Watching?
Boundaries for a Better Life
God's Boundaries
Memories of a Hero Mom
The Ripple Effect
How Do We Think Like Jesus
Litany of a Waiting Woman
Ever Cook a Frog?
New Year's Reminders
They Galled Her Gammy
When God Speaks
A Russian Christmas Story
Be Thankful
Be Grateful
Are You Tired of the Same, Old Thing?
  (reprint)
Laughter—Why Laugh?
Mom
Are You Disturbed?
Unity of the Brothers
Encouragements To Declutter
Do You Have Too Much Stuff?
Too Much Stress
Getting Past the Noise—The Value of Silence
Are You Scatterbrained?
How Good Are You?
Looking for Something Good To Read?
A Cup of Cold Water
I Will Trust When I Cannot See
Encouragement—What Is It?
Being in God's Presence
"Einstein and the Professor"
When God Is Silent
Do You Crave Beauty?
Using Stories to Discipline
The Danger of the Wrong Story
Using Stories to Teach Lessons
God is in charge of the future
November Dare Joy Challenge
Ungratefulness
Developing an Attitude of Gratitude
Looking for Jesus
What Do Your Prayers Reflect?
Life's Little Pleasures
Daniel—Greatly Loved by God
Take Every Thought
Jars of Clay
What Do Your Words Reveal about Your Heart?
How Do You Get Strong Faith?
Too Busy for God's Word?
How Do You Think Like Jesus?
Reflections from a Mom
Pain—What's It Good For?
Why Marry?
Consider the Robin
One Life Who Made a Difference
What Day Are You Living In?
Interrupted by God
Is Jesus Really the Answer to Everything?
Are You Beat Up?
What's Your Hurry?
Are You a Manipulator?
Are You Salty?
Are You Condemned?
Trying to Understand?
Do You Expect Answers to Your Prayers?
Do You Eat Your Stress?
Need Focus?
Going through Trouble?
Immanuel—God with Us
Looking for a Relationship?
When God Says, "No!"
What Do You Do with Left-Overs?
How Great Is Your God?
Are You Needy?
How Do You See Sin?
What Do Your Words Mean?
Is Evil Overwhelming You?
Those Aha Moments
Is Your Soul Happy?
Are You Ignored?
Looking for the God Moment
Do You Know Truth from Almost Truth?
I Believe in Jesus—What Now?
Do You Have Your "Son"-Glasses On?
Less Is More
Singing His Praise
Are You Trying To Do It All?
What Do You Do with All These Prayer Requests?
Have a Problem?
Do You Know How to Pray?
Looking for God in Every Moment
Are You Receptive to God's Blessings?
Tell the Senate: Mothers Aren't Birthing People
Is Your Life Complicated?
How Do We Fight Evil?
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Giving Up or Taking Away
the Bible is simple
Are You a Dripping Faucet?
What's Your Testimony?
The Final Move
Be Careful What You Wish For!
Are Your Prayers Answered?
I Choose Joy
What Have You Learned from Your Hardship?
Who Are You Trying to Change?
What's Your Five-Year Plan?
The Danger of "Aloneness"
My Colors
Are You a Whiner?
Are Your Works Approved?
Do You Think You're Stressed?
Is Your Soul Feeling Ragged?
God Speaks to the Heart of the King
What about the Details?
Have You Felt the Long-Suffering of God?
How Does God Lead You?
Do You Have Enough?
Don't Carry More than You Need
Cast the Seed
God Is Faithful
Are You Deceived?
Are You Essential?
Are You Safe?
Are You Tired of the Same Old Thing?
Does the World Make Sense?
Have You Seen God's Majesty?
Do You Feel Judged?
If You Only Had One More Day To Live
Are You Understood?
Do You Long for the Word of God?
Slow Down and Smell the Dead Leaves
Are You Hospitable?
Our Heritage Is Bought by Blood
Are You Disturbed?
Are You Depressed?
I Did It My Way
Finding the Simple Life with Meaning
The Simple Life
Do You Have the Right Words?
Did Your Dream Die?
On the Other Side of the Fence
Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence
Confessions of a Desperate Mom
Saving for Tomorrow
A Wedding Remembered
Who Will Stand in the Gap?
Are You a Protector or a Ruler?
Who Are You?
Are You an Image Bearer or a Wad of Cells?
Are You a Watchman?
Where Do You Find Meaning?
The Lamb of God as Told by a Scribe
What Love Is This?
Remember: The Symbols of Passover Explained
Tea and Rest
Do You Have Peace?
What Makes a Marriage Work?
When Life Is Awful
Are You Strong Enough?
Rules
Seasons
Be Faithful through Suffering
Do You Know the Word?
Wake Up! Strengthen What Remains
Are You Spit in God's Mouth?
Is Jezebel in Your Midst?
Do You Stand Against Satan Himself?
Are You Tired of Being a Mom?
What in the World Is Happening?
It's Not My Story
How Would Your Faith Compare?
Are You Sinking?
Are You a Rule Follower?
Useful for Him
An Intimate Moment with Mary
The Worldview that Makes the
   Underclass
Thoughts to Ponder
What Does It Take To Know the
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See the Story in the Stars
Do the Scriptures Burn You?
Being in His Presence
Contentment: It's Not for the Timid
How Secure Are You?
How Do You Respond To Stupid People?
The Earthworm Is My Hero
Heart Issues or Issues of the Heart
Things Aren't Always What They Seem
More faith articles are found here:

under the Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Or here:

under the Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Articles on Suffering can be found  here, 

under Table of Contents. Also available in book form.
Special Days
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Aug 12, 2017 The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
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Memorial Day-A Day To Remember
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Christmas: Stories behind the Songs, part 2