I am a pack rat and I know it. I keep things for 'just in case' - I just may need it someday. Now if each member of our household has the same idea - the house would really be full of clutter. The less stuff we have, the easier it is to keep our home clean and orderly. In turn, it will be easier to teach our children what is important to keep in life. Our house would be cleaned up very quickly if our daughter did our housekeeping. Her rule is: 'If you have not used it in six months, you do not need it.'
Household clutter takes a lot of time and effort in our daily work. Everything in our home was bought, paid for, brought home, organized, stored, and needs to be reorganized on regular basis. The more clutter we have the more work we also have to do. Clutter takes time and energy out of our day.
If we are overwhelmed by our clutter and really do not know where to begin, remember we are not alone- but we can do this. Keep our task of de-cluttering simple and do it, a little each day. I heard someone say we can get rid of five items each day and soon you will notice improvement in our home.
Household clutter is also very depressing to look at. No one wants a home that is full of clutter. But we all have too much stuff in our homes and this would be a good time of the year to clear this clutter. If it has not been used over the past year, we do not need it, and this clutter can go.
Donating items to charity is something we can all do. By donating we have helped others who may be in need of our surplus. Keep a container handy for donations to go to a charity. When we de-clutter our home we make our home more relaxing and more enjoyable for all.
Spiritual de-clutter is also something that needs attention. We all have extra baggage in this area. In the Bible we are told to get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Holding on to this baggage is very harmful to us. To remove things like anger, bitterness, and rage from our lives is not an easy task. This clutter slows us down, causes depression, and robs us of vital time and energy. Spiritual de- cluttering is a lifelong process and we need to keep working on it daily.
Lent is a good time for clearing away the clutter of our lives. During Lent we can clear away some of the 'earthly clutter' of our lives so that we have room to flourish for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.
Clutter slows us down, depresses us and robs us space and effort which could be used for a more worthwhile purpose.
Margaret Anne Yost nursed for 35 years. Returning back to school I completed classes from the Red River College in the areas of Gerontology, Bereavement, Death and Dying.
For twelve years I worked in bereavement support at a funeral home.
I was employed as Parish Worker at a Lutheran Church. At present I am enjoying my role as homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother.
