We've moved houses many times and been through the decluttering process often enough. Yet, with every move, we still haven't managed to shed any extra weight in terms of carton boxes, kilos, or calories!
Sure enough, after the tedious process of unpacking and setting up, we would discover multiple items we thought we had thrown in the trash bin or meant to give away. Instead of disposing of it right then, I pack it away, hoping to put it to good use, and it lies forgotten in bubble wrap until the next move or till the decluttering bug bites me.
I signed up for a 14-day decluttering challenge and started in full steam, convinced that we would be clutter-free and living minimalist lives. By day five, I called it quits and decided I was happy to live without clearing up the bits and pieces, odds and ends, that 'do not bring us joy.' Undeterred, I decided I would try to clear up one space every day. But that didn't get us very far either. I was appalled at the things I had hoarded and refused to throw away.
Yet, my heart is set on collecting vintage items. While visiting my parents a few years ago, I saw these rustic ceramic jars that belonged to my grandmother. My parents were more than happy for me to have them. I wistfully told my husband about how beautiful they would look in our home. My usually calm husband gave me an incredulous look and asked me if I had even thought of where I would place them in our home. Needless to say, the jars continued to lie forgotten in the corner. But a few visits later, I had managed to make space at home, giving away things that didn't matter or hold as much importance as these beautiful, delicate souvenirs.
Isn't that how it is with minds, with our hearts? We are carrying around chipped and broken feelings. We have stashed away memories that won't do us any good, weariness that crumbles our souls, stored shards of pain, baggage that we should have left behind but didn't.
I'm guilty of the same.
But I want to change. To forget what lies behind and press on to what lies ahead.
I want to leave behind the caustic pain of careless words, the bitterness of broken promises, the debris of dampened friendships, the residue of rancid remarks, the implosion of angry words, the tenacious hold of unforgiveness, the crinkly remains of a long-forgotten argument.
I pray that the Living Waters will cleanse my heart, that the last of the silt will be washed away, that the murkiness will give way to fresh springs, and that there will be space for growth and renewal instead of my heart being a stagnant cesspool breeding nothing more than bitterness and lifelessness.
I want to have space in my heart to hold onto what is of true value, what is of eternal value.
I wonder how many blessings and insights I have missed out on because I do not have space in my heart to take in what the Lord has for me because I am holding onto the things I need to let go.
After many failed attempts at decluttering, I have realised that the only way to tackle the pile is to take out everything and lay it out and to quickly dispose of things that need to have been chucked long ago and keep only the ones that have value and can be of use. It is not an easy process. It is tiring, cumbersome, and bothersome, but worth the time and effort.
When we lay it all before Him, He is willing to come into the mess, into the knotted-up emotions, to help us discard the baggage we are lugging around. In turn, He bestows upon us life, a life of fullness, in Him.
Wouldn't it be a meaningful exercise of faith to declutter our hearts before we move into the season of celebrating the Saviour's birth?
Let it go… let it go... And let God.
May our hearts always have room for the Saviour and His gift of life!
