Today's post on living simply has to do with matters of the heart. I have not read the book From Clutter to Clarity, but I have read a recent post on some of the subjects discussed in the book.
I have never considered that a life of disorganization and clutter could be a matter of the heart. I guess I've always just considered it a personality "quirk." There is a part of me that does not mind disorganization and clutter. This scares me a little as I consider what this means about my heart. Most people that come to my home compliment me on how clean and nicely organized things are. People assume that my home looks like this all the time and that I am a well-organized person by nature. How untrue! I must FORCE myself to stay on my house-cleaning schedule because I feel that it is my responsibility as a homemaker. I MAKE myself come up with ways to organize the clutter and "stuff" that we continually seem to accumulate. It is a constant struggle for me....I must always remind myself the calling I have been given as a wife and mother....the commitment I made to Todd....the thankfulness that I have a husband who supports the decision for me to be a homemaker.
Consider the following quote from Nancy Twigg's book:
In his thirty-three years on earth, Jesus provided the ultimate example of living simply in a complicated world. He was not status conscious or materialistic. He was certainly busy, yet he took time to rest and rejuvenate. Jesus knew his purpose in life and focused all his energies in that direction. He proved it is possible to keep our hearts grounded when everything around us is topsy-turvy.
How true! While living his life, Jesus did not strive to build an Earthly kingdom, resplendent with power, material possessions, and wealth. He reminded us that our treasure is in heaven.
The choice to live simply will only get harder as Grace gets older. School activities, extracurricular activities, church activities, and a host of other time-consuming and money-consuming activities will be added to our schedules. Our challenge as parents is to keep our priorities in order, learn to say "no" when appropriate, and always provide our home as a restful oasis for family and friends.
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3 comments:
I really struggle with this, too, though mine still shows on the outside- my home is clean, yet cluttered.
I am fairly organized, but I am a pile maker. I have piles going here and there with the intention of getting to them. Usually when they topple over, I don't have much choice!
Oh, I struggle to keep up with the housecleaning (and I'm a pile maker, too, Stephanie!), and must force myself to do it. I agree that it's so much about priorities, though. And I'm also a little apprehensive about learning more about my cluttered heart... :)
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