Have you gotten into the uncluttering craze? There is a level of satisfaction in purging, removing, and detoxing our homes, offices, and spaces. But what about the unnecessary and unwanted stuff buried deep in our souls? Learn what needs to go as we look for beauty in the process of uncluttering our souls.
UNDERSTANDING THE UNCLUTTERING CRAZE
A few years ago in the U.S., Marie Kondo, with her bestselling book and Netflix series, made the case that uncluttering can “dramatically transform” your life. She claimed that “detoxing” our spaces of unused and unwanted stuff could make us happier, more confident, and maybe even slimmer (oh yes!) in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
And many of us hopped on this uncluttering bandwagon, learning to take inventory of our possessions, room by room, by holding up each item and asking ourselves: Does this spark joy?
Some claim that Kondo unknowingly uncovered a deeper issue with our society’s obsession with “stuff” as a source of joy. But as Rachel Gilson sorts through Kondo’s methods from a Christian perspective, she goes even further,
Kondo has led many of us to declutter our homes, minds, and hearts, but it’s what we find underneath, where all our things once were, that matters most. The problem is that Kondo is still asking for our stuff to be what sparks joy. Just a smaller portion of stuff.“
Rachel Gilson, “Does She Spark Joy? Sorting Through Marie Kondo,” Desiring God
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UNCLUTTERING & CONTROL
The satisfaction found in a drawer full of expertly folded clothes, an office organized with color-coded files, and a pantry perfectly ordered and labeled with matching containers definitely brings me a sense of joy and contentment. Trust me; I often drool over the Instagram and Pinterest photos of these types of organizational beauty. Clutter disturbs my spirit!
But, I bought into the fantasy (and yes, I think that is what it is!) that tidying up, getting rid of things, and organizing my life would bring perfect peace and control…things I desperately desired.
But once I began to unclutter, remove, sort, order, and straighten the things and places in my home and office, I had to deal with what I found underneath. Uh-oh.
“It’s what we find underneath, where all our of things once were, that matters most.”
I was willing to put in the time and effort using the Konmari Method but also desired a more profound sense of peace and purpose- a kind of deep and lasting contentment, independent of a perfectly maintained home. After all, perfect closets, pantries, and offices don’t stay that way for too long, do they?
WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT UNCLUTTERING OUR SOULS
Amen to being more intentional about our consumerism, materialism, and greed. There is nothing wrong with applying the principles of uncluttering to our external spaces. In fact, it is quite healthy. And asking if something truly brings us joy has its merits too.
But as Gilson reminds us, stuff…or the lack of stuff…or neatly organized stuff, can never bring us the profound and abiding peace for which we long. Because, in the end, it is still just…stuff.
When we remove the things, we still need to deal with what is left behind. The intangible habits, attitudes, emotions, insecurities, and motives. And that, my friends, gets into the clutter within our souls.
WHAT NEEDS TO GO TO DEAL WITH THE CLUTTER WITHIN OUR SOULS
While I was busy purging, cleansing, and uncluttering my external world (frantically grasping for the illusion of control), I completely overlooked the clutter within my heart, soul, and mind. How long had it been since I took inventory of my:
- negative thoughts?
- bad attitudes?
- selfish motives?
- manipulative tendencies?
- unforgiving judgments?
If I am honest, I would have to admit: a long time. Ouch!
And what does that say about me?
Sadly, I am often more concerned if things look orderly, well kept, and picture-perfect on the outside. It is far too easy to hide the junk buried in my soul…even from myself.
WHY WE NEED TO INVITE GOD’S SPIRIT INTO THE UNCLUTTERING PROCESS
I have some good news and bad news when it comes to the uncluttering process. Since I am not sure if you are a good news/bad news first type of person, I will start with the bad news because I like to be straightforward and honest.
BAD NEWS: You have no hope of uncluttering your soul. Yep, that is the truth, my friend. No sugarcoating going on here or Konmari-ing either!
GOOD NEWS: God has every intention of uncluttering your soul and desires to do so if you allow His Spirit to come in and transform you from the inside out.
Instead of asking ourselves what we should keep or throw away, we can cry out to God just like David did in the Psalms:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Even if we don’t know where to start or what needs to be removed, God does! If we come humbly to God asking him to unclutter our souls, his Word promises that is exactly what he will do!
HOW THE BIBLE SHOWS US WHAT WE NEED TO UNCLUTTER
Searching the Scriptures for a place to guide and direct this kind of deep soul cleanse that would result in a beautiful, uncluttered soul, I repeatedly returned to the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV):
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
These nine attributes are the outward evidence of a transformed inner life. But how do we get there?
Like uncluttering messy and disorganized spaces, this cleansing process begins by removing unwanted and unnecessary items to make room for essential and healthy things.
When we invite the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out by first allowing Him to remove the clutter, He will produce these qualities (fruit) that we desperately long for and need.
9 THINGS THAT NEED TO GO TO UNCLUTTER YOUR SOUL
Watch this short video (less than 2 minutes!) to learn what needs to go in order to unclutter your soul.
WHAT NEEDS TO GO —> TO MAKE ROOM FOR
PRIDE LOVE
DISCONTENMENT JOY
WORRY/FEAR PEACE
JUDGMENT/CRITICISM PATIENCE
SELF-CENTEREDNESS KINDNESS
APATHY GOODNESS
DISHONESTY FAITHFULNESS
BITTERNESS GENTLENESS
POWERLESSNESS SELF-CONTROL
DISCOVERING THE BEAUTY OF AN UNCLUTTERED SOUL
I know that the above list feels a bit harsh—uncluttering your soul is not an easy process. It involves releasing, purging, and letting go so that God’s Spirit can come in and do the deep soul cleansing, and that is not always easy or comfortable!
But discovering the beauty underneath is not only possible but so worth it, dear friend!
Although I am not where I need to be in letting go of the clutter in my home, space, or life, I am slowly learning that I experience less anxiety and more tranquility when I release my expectations of external perfection. And as I lean into the Holy Spirit, he produces a more profound sense of order and peace as He works on my soul. There will always be things we need to unclutter within, but God is ever-present and continually working on us if we let him. Surrendering control to him brings freedom and peace because we know that he is faithful to do what he promised!
If you are looking for more resources to look deep within and unclutter your soul, please check out my FREE FAITH PRINTABLES page to find two other soul care guides. I also have a newly released devotional Bible study, The Beauty of an Uncluttered Soul, that takes you through the entire process of allowing God’s Spirit to transform you from the inside out.
Click on the image below to see inside the book on Amazon*. (On sale for 30% of the cover price, so don’t wait!)
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So insightful.
Thank you, Heather!
A great article. What god has been doing with me these past number of months and o feel the reward and blessing of the process. He really does make a new creation
Amen! God is always working on transforming us from the inside out!