A Resolution for Change

I talk to many women that feel overwhelmed in their jobs as wives, moms, teachers, and homemakers and in most of those discussions their chief complaint boils down to being overloaded with too much stuff, too little space, and not enough time.

For some reason, in this current season of life, God has called this former pack-rat to help other families battle clutter, disorganization, and help return their homes to a place of rest, a haven from the world. It was never anything I planned on doing.  It's not like I grew up neat, organized, or tidy....in fact the exact opposite is true. Ask my mother about the state of my room while growing up and you'll hear things like....bologna peels under her bed, tiny bits of toys being hoarded, and pieces of papers with the most insignificant doodle being saved and treasured. Seriously, I was the poster child for hoarders anonymous!

I'm very thankful that God uses broken people and can turn their weaknesses into strengths! He has enabled me to move away from my dependence on things and the false security they offer, to the never failing, never ending security HE offers. That void that I once filled with stuff and busyness is now filled with His love!

In my casual conversations I hear things like, "My home is a stressful place", "What I do is never enough for my husband, we are always fighting about stuf", "I don't even know where to start with getting my time organized", and "I feel like all I do is clean up". It's hard to hear, but I've also been there, so I know how they are feeling.

People keep things for many reasons. Some are sentimental, some people feel stuff brings security, some people are just not organized or have a creative type of personality. Things (or STUFF as I lovingly call it) are not bad or sinful in themselves. It's when we hold on to them too tightly, hoard them, or turn them into our idol. 1 John 2:15 reminds  us to "not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him". It's a pretty straight forward warning to keep our eyes on our ultimate Home and on laying up our treasure Above, not here where they quickly decay, are lost or broken.....remember you can't take it with you! 

So why are we wasting so much time on cleaning, storing, moving, and organizing items with no eternal value? Why are our days filled with tasks that we don't enjoy, that don't benefit our family, or bring us closer to God? While being a good steward is an important in and of itself, I'm asking why do we have so many things we don't use, need, or even like?  Well that's a personal question we all need to answer for ourselves. 

While the answer will be different for all of us, the solution is usually the same - we need less stuff, fewer commitments, and more time with God.

As we move into the new year I hope we can all focus back on what God has called OUR families to. That we can find a way to drop the excess and get back to the basics of life so that God is in the forefront and the worldly stress quietly fades away.