Clearing Out the Clutter

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28–29, NIV).

Every week or two, I find myself taking a step back and looking around my home, realizing I need to do some “picking up,” as I prefer to say. It’s not that my home is dirty, but in the midst of the busyness of life, I often will drop this and that, here and there, and before I know it, my house needs a little tidying. Though it doesn’t usually take long, there’s always such a sense of gratification when I’m finished. I know I’m not alone in this. Over the past few years, there has been a significant rise in popularity for all things organizational. TV shows, books, accessories, fancy to-do lists, planners, and the list goes on. There has been a growing desire for learning new and fresh ways to clean up our living spaces, and thus, clean up our lives in a way that allows us to save time and be more productive.

It’s a great concept that I’ve found myself more intrigued by over the last couple of years. Recently, while driving home from a trip to Marshall’s, Home Goods, and Hobby Lobby to buy décor for my home, I found myself thinking about the clutter in my life. And I don’t mean the physical clutter found around my home, but more importantly, the emotional and spiritual clutter that I’ve allowed to build up in my heart as a result of the fact that I am a sinful human being that lives in a fallen world. Lately, my work schedule has been getting busy again; I miss my brother who lives nine hours away; and, most of all, I’ve been struggling with trying to understand why a certain friendship has fallen apart. Though these issues may seem small to someone else, they are all things that are very important to my heart and, if I’m not careful to take regular inventory of how much space they’re taking up, I can easily run out of space. And, before I know it, these things will begin to clutter my heart and soul in a way that causes me to miss so much of the good God is doing in my life. This is why I’ve decided recently that I want to be intentional to perform regular storage maintenance on my heart and soul.

What does regular storage maintenance look like? If you’re like me, I’m sure you’ve received a notification on your cell phone, laptop, or some other form of technology that is warning you that you’re nearing the storage limit on your device. What I’ve come to realize is that if I wait and the storage gets full before I’m able to clear some things out, I know I might take a chance on missing out on being able to store something that’s really important to me. And I’m not willing to do that. So, as soon as I see the notification, I immediately pull open the settings on my phone to take a look at what applications are taking up the most storage space. Based on what I find, I decide what stays and what I send to the trash. The same goes for a cluttered home. If I’m willing to do that with my house and my cell phone, why am I not willing to also do that with my heart?

Just as the inside of our homes and the storage settings on our devices look different, so do our hearts. Regardless of the difference, there seems to be so many things taking up space these days. We are surrounded by hard stuff everywhere. Sickness, financial struggle, divorce, traffic accidents, natural disasters, relationship failures, and so much more. Every single day we are faced with storms, sometimes self-inflicted and other times unavoidable. If we aren’t careful, our hearts will be so cluttered with things that only bring fear, anxiety, stress, and weariness. And, before long, we’re toting around a burden that we were never meant to carry. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 11:28: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. I think maybe the most important part of reading Matthew 11:28 is continuing to read on into verse 29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Jesus is not only asking us to bring the cluttered spaces of our hearts and lay them before Him, but He is reminding us of His humble and gentle heart where we can come to find true rest.

While driving home from shopping that day, I realized, despite having things in my life that are confusing and difficult, how free my heart has felt lately. In my life, being intentional to clear the clutter has taken the form of daily quiet time with the Lord, physical activity, processing with trusted friends, and getting good rest. When I make it a priority to clear the clutter, not only in my home and on my cell phone, but most importantly in my heart, it makes all the difference. Though the storms still persist and my heart still aches for restoration and the fulfillment of certain prayers, when I trust Jesus with my burdens and choose to lay them at His feet, I am able to walk in a freedom that only comes from knowing the Lord. So, the next time you flip on your favorite Netflix show about organizing your life, or you see that storage reminder on your cell phone, remember to check the status of your heart and clear out the clutter that may be keeping you from experiencing the best of what God has to offer for your life.