De-clutter Your Life: A Christian Perspective
For the past few weeks, I have taken a break from blogging. Why? I needed to take some time for spring cleaning. As many of you know, my husband and I are remodeling a 100 year old house. Whenever the house is finished, we will be downsizing tremendously. Unfortunately, downsizing also mean I need to de-clutter and clean out. Throughout this process, I have had to box up the essential items that we will be putting into our new home and selling or throwing out anything that is no longer needed. Before, I started this process, I always thought that I lived simply and never considered myself materialistic. However, the more I sort through cabinets and drawers, I am finding that I have still collected a ton of unnecessary things over the last decade and that I should have made it a point to de-clutter on a regular basis.
With all of the spring cleaning the past few weeks, I was reminded how our messy our lives can be when we forget to take time to de-clutter our lives and schedules and how “too much stuff” can be overwhelming to our mental and spiritual health. To find balance to your mental and spiritual health, here are 3 tips to de-clutter your life.
1. Get rid of the non-essentials:
Just like when you are spring cleaning, you have to start by sorting through the clutter and prioritize what needs to stay and what needs to go. Start this process by asking yourself the following questions.
“What feels like too much in my life today?”
“Do I have trouble getting rid of things I don’t use regularly “just in case” I need them later? Do these “just in case” items bless or burden me?”
“What is causing the most clutter in my life, possessions, over scheduling, or digital devices?”
“Does my stuff fit my space? Does it fit my needs and the needs of those who share my space? If not, what is one concrete step I can take this week toward eliminating physical clutter?
“What can I get rid of today to feel more peace?”
2. Stop putting your trust in stuff:
Matthew 6:19-21 states: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (ESV).
Basically, this verse explains that our safety and security must not be rooted in material items because ultimately they do not last. Having the best stuff or most stuff does not make us better because those things have to always be replaced. Instead, this verse tells us to focus on our heavenly treasures by putting our focus on God and how we can live our life for him.
Remember, God doesn’t care for how many possessions we have and often chooses not to “bless” with an abundance of things; I don’t know about you, but my prayers to find $1,000,000 has never been answered! Instead He reminds us that possessions must never be our utmost concern, that our needs will be met and in return, he points us toward caring for others. The less stuff we have to manage, the more we can fulfill our purpose.
3. Take break from Technology:
Technology can be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I love to easily be able to reach people all over the world within minutes and quickly ordering from Amazon is often much faster and easier than going to the store. However, social media addiction, looking at our phones instead of our family, web surfing time warps, and the instant gratification of likes and followers, can consume and clutter our lives. As a result, de-cluttering our lives often means de-cluttering our digital devices. I am not saying you have to get rid of your smartphones and tablets, but you may need to evaluate your time on your devices to see if it is causing your life to be cluttered.
Back in January, I made the decision to completely delete social media off of my phone and any non-essential apps. By doing so, I felt freer and even found myself with more free time in the evenings. I didn’t realize how much time I spent mindlessly scrolling through apps on my phone. By this simple task, I was able to free my soul and made space for my family, real friendships, and rest.
Ultimately, remember that clutter doesn’t have to be physical things. Work, family, housework, school, technology, and over committed calendars can lead to cluttered lives. This spring, take the opportunity to de-clutter your life through some spring cleaning. Little by little, you will learn what is truly essential in your life and will begin to let go of the non-essential “junk.” As a result, you will be able to reap the benefits of simplicity with calmer hearts, deeper relationships, and a joyful purpose.
If you want to de-clutter your life and need some help sorting through the essentials, turn to Anchored Hope Counseling in Kannapolis, NC. Anchored Hope Counseling provides a wide range of therapy services from couples counseling to personal one-on-one sessions. View a list of our offerings online, or click here to schedule a consultation today. If you liked these tips remember to subscribe to our weekly blog for more news and insights.
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Shift Your Mindset in Times of Hopelessness
During times of hopelessness and depression, I have this bad habit of asking questions like, “Why does everything have to be so difficult?” or “Why can’t things just go the way I planned?” In reality, there is nothing wrong with asking questions like that out of frustration. We all need to vent sometimes. However, I have to try not to ask questions like that too often because asking “why” tends to keep me focused on the negative aspects of the situation. Instead, when I am frustrated or feeling hopeless, I try to shift my mindset and look at the bigger picture and find opportunities of growth. To do this, it helps me to compare my frustrating situation to hiking.
As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I love to explore. Sometimes, our explorations involve hiking trails. While my husband is a hiking pro, I struggle a little with the incline. I get out of breath and occasionally feel like I may just pass out from exhaustion. However, the exhaustion, pain, and sweat are always worth it once I reach the top and enjoy the most magnificent and peaceful views imaginable.
As a Christian, God has called me to the mountaintop to enjoy the most incredible view with Him. However, as much as I want to join Him right away, there is a catch. In order to get to the top, I have climb the mountain. On top of that, any hiker will tell you that you can’t just climb a mountain without preparation. It requires training and the proper gear to successfully make it to the top.
The hike to the top is not meant to be easy. In fact, the struggle makes it worth it. Any hiker will also tell you that the view from the top of a difficult hike is much better than the easy, “drive right up views.” Those views are often littered with cars, trash, and packed with tourists. On the other hand, the difficult hikes are quiet, peaceful, and pure. Basically, if we want to enjoy the peace of the mountaintop, we have to go through the training and we have to experience the struggle of the climb.
By comparing daily struggles to hiking, I have found that it is the struggles of life that refine us to better versions of ourselves. I believe that we are all created for a specific purpose, and with purpose comes preparation. We are not born with the strengths and skills we need to fulfill our purpose, which means each of our paths will include struggles of mistakes and missteps.
During those frustrating moments, it helps to remember a hike and change our question from “why?” to “how?” We change our mindset when we stop focusing on the lamenting “why” questions and instead chose to ask, “How can I grow from this situation.”
Ultimately, when everything seems hopeless and the climb seems too difficult, remember that trials are intended to increase our perseverance, strengthen our character, and renew our hope. You only get to enjoy the peace of the mountaintop when you allow the climb to make you stronger.
At the end of the day, if you still feel like the mountain of depression and hopelessness is still too hard to climb, reach out to Anchored Hope Counseling today. Anchored Hope Counseling provides a wide range of therapy services from couples counseling to personal one-on-one sessions. View a list of their offerings online, or click here to schedule a consultation today. Also, if you found this post to be helpful, remember to share it with others and subscribe for more insights and news each week.
Learn More“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4 ESV).
Looking for a Treasure When You Feel Defeated
For over a year now, my husband and I have been working on completely refurbishing a 100 year old mill house. We have been doing most of the work ourselves and expected the project to be done within 8 months. However, the process has been much longer than we expected and there are days when we want to give up in defeat.
The moments of “what did we get ourselves into” started early in the process and almost every day it felt like we will never get to move into our new home. Each time we walk in, the feeling of being overwhelmed and defeated would crash into us.
To keep from losing our sanity and giving up, we had to develop a strategy to fight discouragement and defeat. This strategy came into play during the first weeks of the remodel process…”demo day” (which was not as fun as Chip Gaines makes it seem since it really lasted more than a week).
For us, Labor day weekend 2019 was spent in a 100 year old abandoned house, tearing down walls, ceilings, and ripping up pea green shag carpet in 100 degree heat. Covered in dust, soot, and sweat, I said to my husband, “It would be amazing if we found a treasure in the wall. It would make all of this worth it.” Just then, as I pulled the drywall down, I found a tiny wood cross in between the 100 year old beams. While to some this would be worthless, it was a reminder to me as a Christian of the greatest treasure I will ever receive–God’s love and grace.
With that tiny cross, God reminded me that His love can help me overcome any obstacle I may face. With that reminder, that tiny cross gave me a restored hope and the ability to keep moving forward. As I looked at that little cross in my hand, I realized that if all we see is what is against us, then we will remain in a prison of discouragement and defeat. However, when we seek the treasure hidden in our suffering, we break free from defeat and can find hope in a better tomorrow
So now, whenever I feel discouraged, weary, or overwhelmed, I try to remember the cross, my personal anchor of hope.
If you are in a storm of defeat, I want to challenge you to look for the small treasure in the storm; something positive to anchor your hope to. By doing that, you may find the strength you need to carry on.
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Here is my treasure, the little white cross found in the mess of defeat.
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