Got Clutter?

Clutter…I seem to be having a problem with clutter. There’s always the pile of mail, receipts, coupons, advertising, etc. that’s piled onto a corner of my kitchen counter. I can remove it in the morning and its back by evening. 

Then there’s my office...I seem to just move the piles around. It really bothers me that it’s such a mess, but I procrastinate at putting it in order, and when I do decide to tackle it, I am easily distracted and the job doesn’t get completed. Why do I do that?

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I heard a sermon this past Sunday on clutter. Well, not exactly clutter, but about the condition and content of my heart, and I related that to clutter. The pastor said we determine the content of our heart by what we see, say, and do. Of course I am convicted that I’m not doing a very good job of keeping clutter from building up in my own heart. Thank goodness for conviction!

But how do I determine what is clutter and what do I do about it? I think the “seeing” part of the content is a problem for me. It’s so easy to sit down in front of the television to enjoy some down time, and just watch whatever. I remember walking in on my kids numerous times while they were watching TV to see a love scene or hear curse words. “What are you watching?” I would say. “Really, Mom, that just came out of nowhere. It was really a good show until you walked in!” they would reply. And you know, that has happened to me. Just a few weeks ago I went on a girls’ trip to Nashville with friends. We decided to go see Captain America at the movies. About midway through it I made an excuse about going to the bathroom, and then never went back into the movie. It was just too much action and violence for me. The point is I can still see images of the fighting and killing in my mind. I can still see images from the movie Psycho that I watched in high school and scared me to death. Sometimes they come back to my memory in the middle of the night. All those images I’ve collected over my 62 years, it’s all there in piles, cluttering up my mind and heart, and I am the one that determines what I add to those piles, on purpose or not.

Proverbs 4:23-27 says to guard my heart, avoid dirty talk, look straight ahead, mark out a straight, safe path and don’t get sidetracked. That means it is my choice to do what I know is right in God’s sight. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have help. King David asked God to search him and point out anything that offends, and lead him down that straight, safe path (Psalm 139:23-24). Guess I have some clutter to clean out!

Your friend,
Lisa

Lisa Harris helps in the office of the Refresh Ministry Women Department of the SoMo District Council AG. She is a pastor's wife, mother and grandma, and a new transplant to Springfield MO. She is actively pursuing new friendships and welcomes any opportunities to connect with the pastor's wives of SoMo District AG.

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