Why Do Our Homes Become Cluttered?

This is not really the question we often ask ourselves, but the "cluttered home" is a subject you can read about in almost any magazine article or book. The truth is, we are created and made in the image of God who is order. Our very being loves order and tranquility. A certain peace is attached to a life of order and organization. The buzz word today is, simplify. This, in a nutshell is order or organization.

When analizing my own life, I dug up a fear that I did not realize was even there. I have always felt that I was a "faith" person with a positive attitude. On the subject of clutter, I found that one of the reasons I held on to too many things was fear. Fear that if times were to get lean, I may need this stuff. As a result, I have a garage full of clutter that is my safety net to support the fear that I may some day need it.

This has been a very exciting revelation to me, because I am purging my life of fears that I have discovered. You see, without faith, God can not work in our lives. Fear is the opposite of faith!

Another reason people, including me, hang on to things is the sentimental attachment to things. Sometimes we have to let go of the past in order to live in the present. I have taken pictures of some of my children’s artwork that would have been bulky to keep, then thrown them away. If the things we are keeping are cluttering our lives, then we need to get rid of them.

When people give you things, you feel guilty to get rid of them, but it is not worth it to allow these things to clutter our lives if it is something that we do not really want. Give it to someone who would really appreciate it. Sometimes we just have to learn to say no when well meaning folks want to give you things like "hand me downs" if it is something that you really do not want.

Here is what I began to do: I began to give away, throw away or carefully house the things that I really felt were good things to keep.

It is necessary to invest in good plastic storage containers. If the items you are keeping are not worthy to be stored in good containers, then it is not valuable enough to be kept. Create a good storage area for your stored items.

Christmas is a great time of year to clear out a few things. When we are taking out all the decorations, decide to get rid of some of those items that are just so so. Make room for the items you plan to get after Christmas on clearance that you will need for next year.

January is my favorite time of the year to clear the clutter and begin the new year with a fresh start.

Begin today by purchasing some good storage boxes, all the same size so that they can be stacked for storage. Make a list of each item that you put in each box. Label the box and keep your storage list of what is in that box. This way this quote will never apply to us:

We never have the time to put it up, but we always have the time to find it.

Happy organizing!