March 20, 2015
Clutter Free
Kathi Lipp
Today’s Truth
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:24-25, NIV).
Friend to Friend
You look at the stacks of paper on the kitchen counter, the plies of laundry on the living room couch, and the cabinets bursting with too much food and once again, you feel that same feeling – an overwhelming sense of defeat. And then you start beating yourself up:
Why can’t I ever get organized?
Why am I so lazy when it comes to my stuff?
It feels like everyone else has got this figured out except for me.
Have you ever considered it might just be a spiritual battle that is keeping you cluttered?
True, for some of us clutter is just indecision. You don’t know where to put the mail, so you put it on the kitchen counter, “Just for now”, (those are the three worst words in the battle on clutter.) But for some of us, it goes much deeper than that. For some of us, the three words that are part of our spiritual battle with clutter are “Just in case.”
· I’ll keep those jeans I hate just in case I gain all my weight back.
· I’ll keep that box of cereal I don’t like just in case I lose my job and we have nothing else to eat.
· I’ll hang on to those sheets we don’t need just in case we our sheets and our back up sheets get worn out.
It’s one thing to be prudent with our stuff. But when we start to hold onto things with a “just in case” mentality, what we are saying in some small but significant ways is that we are the bottom line instead of trusting in God provision.
There is some single mom who would be thrilled to have those jeans you don’t wear. Pass them on to her.
There is a family that would be delighted to find your unopened box of cereal at the food pantry before it expires. Bring it there.
There is a young couple just setting up house that is looking for a set of sheets just like yours at the thrift shop. Donate them there.
Not only will you be God’s hands in providing for another’s needs, you will also receive the blessing of less stuff crowding your home and keeping you from living the life you were designed to live.
When we trust God to meet us in our present circumstances, as well as trusting him for our future needs, we are not just talking about faith we are actively growing our faith in him. But when we hoard, stockpile and surround ourselves with things we don’t presently need with a mentality of “But maybe someday I’ll need it,” or “Just in case,” we are taking matters into our own hands instead of trusting God for our future.
What if God only intended you to have those jeans for a certain time and they belonged to you so that they could end up with someone who really needed them? What if that box of cereal you bought by accident was supposed to end up in the cabinet of a family who is struggling right now?
God has given most of us more than we could ever hope for or imagine. Imagine your life being free knowing you are helping others as well as yourself.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, when I hold onto stuff, I sometimes do it out of fear. Help me to live free from fear and trust you in every area of my life. For today and for the future.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What is the something you’ve been holding onto out of fear?
Who would God have you bless it with today?
More from the Girlfriends
Want to find out more about living a Clutter Free life? Join Kathi on her 21 Day Clutter Free Challenge!
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