This morning, I was conversing via email with a friend who is moving out of her apartment after four years of medical school. She is getting married and moving halfway across the country, so she and her fiance are diligently trying to eliminate unnecessary possessions. I found myself thinking of another friend, who believes that one should hold onto one's possessions loosely. This second friend moved for two years to a foreign country, taking with her only two suitcases, I believe.
These two remarkable women made me wish to more closely consider possessions, particularly clutter.
The following passage comes from Matthew 6.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6: 24-27
Luke 12:15 says, "Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
It is easy to see that Jesus commands us to avoid greed. It is easy to agree, thinking that OF COURSE greediness is evil. It is more difficult to translate this abstract knowledge into application. How much clutter equals greed? What should we do about our clutter?
Ask yourself this: Does this possession further God's kingdom? Does this possession honor God? If the answer is "No," then perhaps it time to consider getting rid of the item. This is not to say that you should live in an empty room, sleep on the floor, wear worn-out clothes, and only eat TV dinners with plastic forks, but perhaps the clutter is getting in the way of honoring God, and it is time to slim down.
As you go through your home, consider these questions.
1. Do I use this item regularly? If the answer is no, ask, "Do I use this item for the purpose it was intended?" For example, perhaps one would not use a fancy platter or champagne glass regularly. However, if you use the platter when you are serving a turkey or large ham, then it might be worth keeping. If, though, you reach for another dish when you are serving that turkey, perhaps the lesser-used platter can be given away. Even if you have never used it.
2. Do I like the item? If you have items that you do not like (even if you once liked them), get rid of them! This includes gifts! The person who gave you that nick-knack ten years ago will never notice that it is gone! If they do, you politely say that you needed something fresh for your eyes.
3. Is the item garbage? With few exceptions, old magazines are garbage, not collectibles. There is a place for reusing things, but if the item which was intended to be reused is older than your oldest child and you have never reused it, throw it out. Your space is more valuable.
4. Is the item expired? Throw it out.
5. Is the item easily replaced? For example, I had an entire Rubbermaid tub under my bed of yarn and fabric that I kept because I thought that someday I would do something with it. Maybe I would have, maybe not. But if I decide that I need a bit of fleece for some project, I can easily go buy a yard of it. This question is especially important if you move often or have very limited space.
6. Most importantly, is this item getting in the way of my relationship with God? This is similar to the question you asked yourself above. "Does this possession further God's kingdom?" Most of your possessions do not get in the way of your relationship. My waffle maker, perhaps, does not directly further God's kingdom the way my Bible or my modest clothing furthers God's kingdom. However, I love waffles, as do many people! It is a balance, though. If you have six waffle makers and spend most of your free time trying to make the perfect cinnamon apple waffle (and you are not a professional chef), you may want to consider whether that hobby is getting in the way of your relationship with Christ.
Now that you are equipped, start with one room. Pick up one item, and start filtering!
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