Decluttering the Home to Declutter the Heart

“Money spent on an item is not wasted if it is used to bless someone else. “

1.Don’t Be Afraid to Get Rid Of Good Items

I know how it goes, you get something really nice that works perfectly. There is nothing wrong with it but it ends up in the back of your closet collecting dust. You feel guilty for getting it in the first place because at the time it was the one thing that would make your life better and you just had to have it. But now it’s just another unused item taking up space in your home.

I’ve felt this many times whenever I would get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have. Until one day, I started telling myself it’s ok to give it away to someone that would use it. Instead of feeling guilty about the money I wasted I started telling myself maybe God used me to buy it for someone else. Money spent on an item is not wasted if it is used to bless someone else. 

“Instead of hanging on to something out of guilt, donate it to someone who can use it.”

2. Regular Decluttering is Necessary 

If you don’t want your house to pile up, decluttering on a regular basis is a must. 

• Throw out junk mail. 
• Go through the pantry regularly to save space and use what you have before it expires. 
• Don’t let trash pile up.
• Get rid of unused items. If you know you haven’t used it in a year then you probably don’t need it. 
• Get rid of multiples. If you use something regularly I’m all for keeping a backup but if you have 4 blenders and only use one occasionally get rid of the other 3. 
• Get rid of clothes you don’t wear. Someone out there can always use the clothes you don’t wear. I’m guilty of buying something new and then keep wearing my favorite decade old clothes. Some things just don’t turn out to be as comfortable as you thought and that’s ok!

Instead of hanging on to something out of guilt, donate it to someone who can use it.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17 ESV

“If you want to make something last longer take a picture of it to remember it. Sometimes we don’t need the item itself, we just need the memories it triggers when we see it.”

3. If You Love Something and Don’t Use it, Take a Picture of It

Sometimes we keep things because they have sentimental value. You don’t need it, use it, or want it, but what makes it special is the person who gave it to you.

I have a ton of stuff packed away that is special to me and I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. I had a box of things from my childhood that I treasured after my mom passed away. She held onto everything for 20 years and then it became mine again.

I thought it was safe in my closet until one day I opened the box and a field mouse made its nest in the box. All of the drawings, pictures, and random things my mom saved were shredded and gone. I was devastated but then I remembered Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21:

“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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

I thought the treasure was the box of stuff that came from my mom. But it turns out the treasure was my mom and she’s now in heaven. If you want to make something last longer take a picture of it to remember it. Sometimes we don’t need the item itself, we just need the memories it triggers when we see it. 

“When I started putting things in books it made me more selective about what I kept and helped me weed out the junk.”

4. Keep Papers and Pictures in Books and Binders

It’s so much easier to keep important papers in books and binders. Less mess = less stress.

• I have a binder for each subject and divide them up with sheet protectors by months, years, and events.

• I have scrapbooks for little random pieces of paper I saved such as ticket stubs, bookmarks, stickers, etc.

• I love keeping my pictures in photo albums so they are easier to look through and are protected.

Not keeping papers organized can be overwhelming. When I started putting things in books it made me more selective about what I kept and helped me weed out the junk. 

Your happiness isn’t worth having your feelings bound by stuff. Be mindful of what you have in your home so what you have in your home doesn’t have you. Focus on filling your heart with Jesus and not filling your home with stuff. Because Jesus said, “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” (Matthew 6:21).

5. A Decluttered Home = A Decluttered Mind

When the house is a mess and there is stuff sitting around that doesn’t belong it drives me crazy. More stuff means more to clean, more to move, more to store, and more to think about.

I’m not talking about the things you love that bring you joy, I’m talking about the things you don’t really need that cause you grief. I’ve learned if something causes me to feel sad, stressed, or angry then I don’t need it in my life.

To clarify, I’m not talking about items that belong to other people in your home (with every relationship there will be compromise). I’m talking about your own stuff that feels like a block around your neck pulling you down in deep water.

Your happiness isn’t worth having your feelings bound by stuff. Be mindful of what you have in your home so what you have in your home doesn’t have you. Focus on filling your heart with Jesus and not filling your home with stuff. Because Jesus said, “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” (Matthew 6:21).