The things I am going to write in this post apply to me, and you may not share the same feelings or convictions about possessions.
When my possessions make me tired.
When my possessions get in the way of me helping others.
When my possessions and the care of them fills all my time.
When my possessions or stuff makes me feel crabby because it's never where it belongs etc....
Then I have TOO MUCH STUFF.
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1b
My greatest desire is to serve the Lord and be ready to do what He asks. I've noticed that possessions can hinder my ability to serve. I guess you would say that is my underlying motivation for decluttering.
You might ask why not just not accumulate the "stuff" in the first place. We tend to accumulate from other sources besides ourselves. Family and friends give us gifts or items they no longer need, and somehow the "stuff" just grows.
Some of the things are possessions we have had for years, and simply outgrown our need or desire for them.
I feel more ready to give of my time and energy when I do some decluttering. This past week is just one of many such sessions.
Now I'd like to hear from you. What is your motivation for getting rid of stuff or decluttering?
When my possessions make me tired.
When my possessions get in the way of me helping others.
When my possessions and the care of them fills all my time.
When my possessions or stuff makes me feel crabby because it's never where it belongs etc....
Then I have TOO MUCH STUFF.
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1b
My greatest desire is to serve the Lord and be ready to do what He asks. I've noticed that possessions can hinder my ability to serve. I guess you would say that is my underlying motivation for decluttering.
You might ask why not just not accumulate the "stuff" in the first place. We tend to accumulate from other sources besides ourselves. Family and friends give us gifts or items they no longer need, and somehow the "stuff" just grows.
Some of the things are possessions we have had for years, and simply outgrown our need or desire for them.
I feel more ready to give of my time and energy when I do some decluttering. This past week is just one of many such sessions.
Now I'd like to hear from you. What is your motivation for getting rid of stuff or decluttering?
It felt so good to leave all our clutter behind when we moved overseas! We had to move twice within the first two months we were here, and it took no time at all to pack and move--a morning or less, each time. So freeing! Since we've been settled in this house, though.... A couple of people from the community, who were moving/downsizing have brought us boxes and boxes of their clutter. Of course, being a large, homeschooling family, we can use everything, right? It's about time to go through everything again--but without the incentive of moving I can't seem to accomplish that!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I think it is easy to overlook how much weight possessions can carry in terms of emotions, time, and energy. I, personally, hate stuff. I tend to go overboard the opposite way and throw too much out, even stuff I probably shouldn't. I'm not sure what my motivation is, clutter and things just bother me. I have a simple home decorated in a "staged" manner and that makes me feel relaxed. Less stuff to take care of, clean, store and so forth. I get an emotional high from getting rid of stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have a problem with clutter also: too much! I have seriously been decluttering several rooms but have so many more to go. I look around at all this "stuff" and just shake my head! We have more clothes, dishes, toys, etc. (like most of America) that we have NO use for! My problem is I would throw out everything if I could but my family might be upset. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe watch the show "Hoarders" and feel so sorry for them. They are filling their home with clutter just like we all do with something else in our lives. They feel something "missing" in their lives that they have to fill up.
Personally, I feel the closer I get to God, the less "things" I need. Our house would be clean for most inspections but I still feel bad for all the clutter.
Emma...I can't imagine how free that felt for you all! What a wonderful feeling!!
Tykes Mom...when you mean "staged" do you mean no clutter looking? Did you do it yourself or have someone come in and help design your house for you?
Sorry this turned out so long! This just happened to be a topic I am passionate about.
Blessings to all today!
Wendy
Love this post! It used to be difficult for me to part with almost anything - Whether I was being sentimental or saving something for a rainy day I would hold on to all these things.
ReplyDeleteFinally I couldn't take it anymore. Stuff was controlling my life. It didn't bring me joy. I started collecting donation bags. I didn't spend a lot of time debating or thinking about it. If a part of me felt like it needed to go then it probably did.
Donating stuff was a lot easier too than saving it for a yard sale. Inevitably I'd end up changing my mind on stuff and dragging it back into the house that way. When I donated, it was gone.
Still working on decluttering, but it sure feels good!