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Spiritual Spring Cleaning
Part Two: Declutter (& Prioritize)
Whenever I start seriously cleaning the house the first thing I notice is that there is just too much stuff and not enough places to put everything. If I am going to have any chance at successful spring cleaning there’s a lot of stuff that’s just got to go!
Decluttering is often the hardest part about spring cleaning. It can be very difficult to get rid of stuff sometimes . . . especially things that may hold sentimental value or things you think you “might need someday”.
Personally, I’m not much of a pack rat . . . our family moves around so much that we just can’t afford to hold on to things. When all your possessions have to fit in suitcases, and you have to be the one lugging those suitcases from one corner of the globe to the other, you quickly learn to prioritize and let go of certain things.
But in spite of this constant transition, we still tend to collect items wherever we go, so at times it feels like a constant battle to try and move things out of the door and not take in more than we can handle (and more we’ll have to deal with later).
When I look at just how much of my time is spent shuffling possessions and sorting through “stuff”, I find myself wishing sometimes that we could just get rid of everything all in one load and just start fresh.
But I know one thing for sure . . . even if we did get rid of everything and start over, it wouldn’t be too long before our house was full of clutter again. Because it’s not the “stuff” that is the problem – it’s our personal habits.
The Rich Man Who Couldn’t Follow Jesus
In the gospels we read a story about a rich man who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. As Jesus questions him, this man seems so sure that he has been doing everything that is required of him by God. But Jesus says to him, “There is still one thing you haven’t done . . . go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
(Mark 10:21NLT)
In the end, the rich man turns and sadly walks away.
It is a rather sobering story which ought to lead us into a time of self reflection. I have often been troubled by this story. It brings up a lot of questions in my mind without giving a lot of specifics as to what this should look like practically in my life.
Is this just supposed to be an example of how willing we need to be to give up everything for following Jesus? Is it some sort of test, like the test God gave Abraham to see if Isaac had taken God’s place in Abraham’s heart? Or is Jesus really telling us to sell everything we own?
One thing I found interesting in this story, is that it is not the act of selling everything that gains us entrance into eternal life. Jesus only says that in selling everything and giving the money to the poor we will have “treasures in heaven”.
But this is something that the rich man had to do before coming to follow Jesus. It just wouldn’t work out practically to be following Jesus around nomadically if this young man still had household or business affairs to oversee back home. His attentions would be divided, and he’d have to be commuting back and forth all the time, trying to balance the demands of his position and the desire to follow Jesus around as he travels throughout the land of Israel.
Things that Hinder
As I reflect on this story and on the condition of my spiritual life, I am ashamed to find that I can relate more to the rich young man than I would like.
My possessions take up the majority of my time . . .
– time spent using my computer
– time spent surfing the internet
– time spent doing laundry
– time spent doing dishes
– time spent cleaning the house
– time spent shopping (buying more possessions)
– time spent fixing or maintaining possessions
– time spent trying to find ways to organize possessions
– time spent sorting through possessions
– time spent trying to declutter to get rid of surplus possessions
Plus, the more possessions I have, the more time they take up. Time that could be spent on things that matter so much more!
I spend so much time focusing on my “to do” list, or staring at a screen, that . . .
– I don’t spend a lot of time in God’s Word
– I don’t spend much time in prayer
– I don’t spend enough time investing in my marriage
– I don’t spend enough quality time with my children
– I don’t have time to sit with widows or tend to orphans
– I don’t have much time for outreach
Considering I spent so much time on my “things” and don’t spend much time in God’s Word or in prayer . . . am I a modern day version of the rich young man? Am I really capable of following Jesus or am I just too tied down to my “stuff” that I can’t?
Decluttering My Time
One thing I’ve realized needs to be decluttered in my life is my “time”. I am not very good at time management – not as good as I wish I were. And I know that the amount of things I expect from myself does not practically fit into the allotted time I have. So it’s time to declutter.
What do I expect of myself?
Where do I focus most of my time and energy?
How do I default in filling my “free time”?
Does my “free time” overflow into time that should be spent elsewhere?
What can I say “no” to?
Of course, it’s easier to talk about decluttering my time, but when I actually look at the things I’m wanting to do it is very hard to know what to cut out of my schedule, or what to say “no” to.
But a lot of the struggle I face regarding time management has a lot to do with the fact that my priorities are all messed up.
You can’t declutter your closet without prioritizing it’s contents and determining which outfits you wear the most, or which articles of clothing are multipurpose.
You can’t declutter a book shelf without prioritizing which books you need or which
books are a better quality and more likely to be re-
You can’t declutter the kids’ room without prioritizing the toys and determining which ones they have outgrown, or which are the most stimulating or engaging for them.
If you’re going to declutter, you have to first prioritize. Prioritizing and decluttering
go hand-
Getting Your Priorities in Place
By default I always end up getting my priorities mixed up. Unless I am very intentional about keeping them straight I will always spend the majority of my time on things that don’t matter much at all and never have enough time left over for the things that really do matter.
By default my priorities are always backwards . . .
1) Momentary Matters
Things that have little or no eternal value. Things like: using the computer, watching movies, working on a hobby or personal interest, etc.
2) Every Day Chores / Work
Things that need to be done, but won’t last. I’ll do them today, but in a few hours, days, or weeks, they’ll just need to be done all over again. Things like: paying jobs, dishes, laundry, cleaning house, etc.
3) Ministry / Outreach
Things that make me feel like I’m making a difference in the world, or making this world a better place. Things like: blogging, giving people advice, hosting events, teaching, volunteering, community service, etc.
4) Kids
Investing in my children or spending quality time with them. Such as: playing with the kids, reading them stories, going on field trips, homeschooling, etc.
5) Husband
Investing in my marriage and spending quality time with my husband. Such as: making time for us as a couple, initiating intimacy, going on dates, intentionally making him feel loved and appreciated.
6) God
Spending time with the Lord and growing in my walk with Him. Such as: reading or studying the scriptures, concentrated prayer times, daily devotions, times of worship, etc.
Life is like a Jar of Rocks
Have you ever seen the illustration of the Rocks, Pebbles, Sand, and Water? It is a really incredible demonstration that has really helped me a lot in my efforts to better prioritize my time.
If you haven’t heard about it before, you can check out the following links. I especially like the pictures in the last link . . .
>> The Important Things in Life – Story
>> Life is Like a Jar of Rocks – Demonstration
>> How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed and Get Your Stuff Done (with pictures)
Basically the point of the rocks, pebbles, sand, and water demonstration is to show that if you try putting in the smaller items in the jar first there just won’t be enough room for the bigger items. But if you put the items in the jar by order of size, largest to smallest, it is amazing just how much you can fit into the same amount of space.
Likewise, if you prioritize well and focus first on accomplishing the “big” priorities
in your life, putting them first, you will be amazed by how much you get accomplished
in a 24-
Looking again at the list of priorities mentioned above, it is always my “default” to do them in order of “least important” to “most important”. Not on purpose, by any means. It just so happens that the “little things” often feel the most appealing or the most demanding, and come with time constraints and social pressures. But they are also “never ending”.
At the end of the day I look back and realize that I spent so much time running from one thing to the next doing what felt urgent that I never got around to do what I knew to be important.
It just happens that way. If you want to have time for the things that are really important you have to prioritize, you have to make time for doing the important things first, and you have to weed out (or declutter) some of the little stuff that just doesn’t have eternal value and just can’t reasonably fit into life’s “jar”.
So, in getting my priorities back in order, I want to put the “big” rocks first, which will look more like this . . .
1) God
2) Husband
3) Kids
4) Ministry / Outreach
5) Every Day Chores / Work
6) Momentary Matters
When you do things in order by the “most important” instead of the “most urgent”, you get to the end of the day and just feel so much more satisfied with how the day went. You don’t have to look back with regrets, but instead you can look back on your day and feel content and gratified with your life.
Applying This to My Life
In the book of James it tells us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves, do what it says.” (James 1:22NIV)
So how am I going to apply this practically today?
I would encourage you to take a couple moments (preferably with a pen and paper) and jot down a couple things you are going to do today, even right now after reading this (the sooner the better!) that will be doing something as a result of what you’ve just been learning.
Your answers may be different than mine, but here’s what I am going to do in obedience to the word I have received today . . . and as my first steps toward Spiritual Spring Cleaning . . .
1) Set Up a Daily Schedule
I have plenty of “to do” lists, but what I don’t have is a consistent schedule. Today, I am going to sit down and write out the specific hours in which I am going to focus on the “big rocks”.
I want to be very specific about when I am going to have my daily devotions and times of prayer, specific times when I am going to focus on my marriage and doing something to show love and appreciation for my husband, and very specific times when I will be intentional about playing with my children and investing in their lives.
2) Digest God’s Word Before Digesting Food
I want to take Matthew 4:4 very literally . . . “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that that comes from the mouth of God.”
So, when I start out my day, before I eat anything for breakfast I want to first of all spend time taking in the word of God. Focusing on feeding my soul before feeding my body. And with how demanding my body is for food, hunger pains will be a good motivation and reminder to pick up my Bible do what is even more important.
3) Declutter My Time
With my priorities more in place now, I want to look over my schedule for this next month and intentionally take out (declutter) activities that just don’t fit into my “life’s jar”.
4) Print the Poster Below
I want to print off the picture below as a poster to hang in a prominent place in the house. This can serve as a visual reminder for me to put the “big rocks” first and keep my priorities straight.
