Decluttering is a term that has gained popularity over the years. It may seem like its time as a trend is coming to a close, but I don’t think so. Americans are obsessed with stuff. We are inundated with ads, we consider shopping to be a hobby and we use credit cards to obtain all the stuff our hearts desire. The internet has brought us an unimaginable amount of stuff, arriving in our homes at unimaginable speeds. We can fill our homes with things without ever stepping outside. While our grandparents and their parents struggled to have what they needed, we are overwhelmed with room after room filled with more than our grandparents could have ever imagined.
As Christians, it might seem like it holds no bearing on our faith, but that’s a flawed assumption. Holding onto more than we need affects our faith, our peace, as well as our relationships with God and others. Decluttering the excess can be an act of worship. And I don’t just mean because Colossians 3:23 tells us to do everything as working for the Lord, not for men….though that’s certainly true and we should work hard. But I believe that decluttering your home can be an act of worship in a more profound way. Let me explain.
Our stuff is stealing from us. It steals our time, our money, our affections. It takes our attention and steers our intentions. When we remember that everything we have is a gift from God, and ultimately belongs to God, and that we are simply stewards of the resources that God has given to us, we realize that our stuff actually steals from the Lord. Specifically, it steals from our heads, our hearts, our hands, and our hospitality.
Our Stuff steals From our Heads
God’s Word has much to say about where our headspace is. Our thoughts are to be on things above, not on the things of this earth. One of my favorite verses that has become a bit of a “life verse” for me is Philippians 4:8. It says, “8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” But our stuff steals our thoughts.
Have you ever been sitting in a messy room, trying to pray and the clutter of the room steals your thoughts? You try to focus on the Lord, but as your eyes move around the room, your thoughts move with them. There has been a lot of research that shows that people are more productive and more creative in highly simplified spaces. That’s because the items in a room are vying for our attention and our thoughts, even subconsciously. These thoughts belong to the Lord. He is the One who is true and honorable and praiseworthy. His gifts and His love, and His salvation deserves our highest level of attention and thought.
Our Stuff steals From our Hands
Everything in our homes creates a running to do list. In fact, in his book Goodbye Things, Fumio Sasaki calls this the Silent To Do List. He explains that everything in our homes is telling us to do something. Books say “read me,” dishes say “wash me,” lotions, make ups and other toiletries say “use me.” Decorations say “dust me,” and more than that, “pick me up and dust under me!” There are thousands, some say hundreds of thousands, of items in our homes vying for our time and attention. A house full of things inevitably means a longer silent to do list. I don’t know about you, but that’s not the to do list I have in mind for myself. I do not like the inanimate objects in my home dictating my to do list. More importantly, it’s not the to-do list that God has in mind for us.
Ephesians 2:10 says that we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God has a holy to do list for us. Our stuff tells us to be focused on the here and now, the temporary, the worldly. But God says to set our minds on things above. He says we are His wonderful creation and He has some wonderful good works prepared for us. In fact, our very purpose is found in worshiping God through those good works.
Our stuff steals From our Hearts
Our stuff steals more than just our to do list. It also steals our affections. If you’ve ever tried decluttering but quickly gave up, thinking “but everything in this closet brings me joy!” You may have experienced the power of the affection of stuff. We love our things. They become connected to our memories and it can become very difficult to let go.
Our hearts are created to love God and love people, but we can see from our thoughts and our to- do lists, that often times our hearts are more attached to our belongings than we might otherwise like. The reality is that most of us have homes filled with items that we rarely, or never, use. Meanwhile, there are plenty of people who need these items. The affections we have for the items, the memories attached to them, or the security that they bring can keep us from donating things that have become clutter for us.
Our stuff steals from our Hospitality
As is true for many of the Lord’s statutes, the opposite of the social norm is where God’s truth lies, and where freedom lies. All the stuff in our homes is bogging us down, and keeping us from the freedom that Christ purchased for us. We are most free when we are doing the thing we were created for. God created us to do good works, not to go on shopping trips!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with owning items or with wanting our homes to be beautiful and inviting. But I think the trouble comes when the stuff overwhelms us and keeps our hearts, minds, and to do lists from the One for which it was created. I have been in multiple homes of people who are overwhelmed with the items they’ve allowed in, to the extent that they are no longer willing to open their homes to bless others with hospitality. Romans 12:13 tells us that we are to “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” It’s very difficult to welcome people into our homes when we are overwhelmed with clutter.
So where do we start? How can we honor and worship the Lord through decluttering this year?
Check out Part 2 for 10 practical decluttering tips to get started in 2025!
