“I will give them singleness of heart and action…” Jeremiah 32:39a
My husband (the finance major) has taught me (the girl who had to take special math class in college because I did poorly on the placement test) many things about how to think about money. I think very simply, and very much “in the moment”. Emotionally, I guess you could say! He analyzes and carefully weighs any financial decision. Once, before we were married, I decided that I was going to go to a gym down the street from where I worked. Everyone at my workplace was talking about this “great deal”. I got excited and thought “Finally! This will help me work out!” I went, signed up, and paid the $300 for the year.
I went twice during that entire year. The joke between my husband and me is that I once bought a gym membership for $150 per visit and we laugh about it now. I never once thought about it that way. I didn’t give a single thought as to how else that money could have been spent. I didn’t think through what it would really cost me.
Clutter by Deception
I think clutter and sin is that way. They can be very deceiving. Sin is often pleasurable at first. You don’t see or feel the consequences, often for some time. “See, this isn’t hurting me!” we reason. Our way of living in the U.S. demands and expects immediate gratification. We just want our desires satisfied as quickly as possible. The fact that things move so quickly does not help. We don’t take the time to think through how our choices are really impacting our lives. Even as followers of Christ, we sometimes just go with the flow of the culture around us. This is how clutter mindlessly gets added to our homes, schedules, and hearts.
For me, the road to “de-cluttering” has been a deliberate process. It has happened in my closet, my time, and my heart. I began on this journey because I realized that I was spending inordinate amounts of time on the “stuff” in life, and not with God. I was a miserable, tired, joyless Christian. I looked just like everyone else; running after the things of the world, looking for the next best thing, and always coming away dissatisfied. It was confusing to me, though, because I was busy doing a lot of “good” things. Wasn’t I?
Light Spread Out
Then, one day I read a quote from a beloved mentor of John Ortberg in response to Ortberg’s question about how he could best remain spiritually healthy. This wise man answered, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
Then, one day I read a quote from a beloved mentor of John Ortberg in response to Ortberg’s question about how he could best remain spiritually healthy. This wise man answered, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
Oh, how this bothered me! It brought me face to face with how my busyness, in the name of doing “good”, was truly impacting my life- what it was really costing me. I realized that I had been deceived and the cost was the precious intimacy with Christ, my First Love. In the name of “completing my list”, He was pushed further and further down on that very list.
This is what clutter does. It distracts from what is really important and from Who really brings us what we desperately need. Clutter gets us so caught up in “getting it done” that we forget why we we’re even “doing it” in the first place. We are so busy “taking care of it” that we don’t even remember why we got “it” to begin with. This is the enemy’s plan to get us to settle for his cheap imitation in order to keep us from getting a taste of the Real Thing.
As the noise and distraction of “stuff” has been removed, God’s peace and His quiet voice have begun to take its place. My First Love is back where He should be, and as a result, my life is not splintered anymore.
When light is spread out, it is dim. But when it is laser-focused, it can light a fire.
Centered Focus
What does this look like for you? In what season are you currently walking? What do you have in your life that is good, but not best? Do you feel scattered? Are you able to truly be quiet? When you make a decision about how to spend your time- weighing whether or not you will join that Bible study or add that exercise class or go on that mission trip- what lens do you look through to make that decision? Do you make intentional decisions that take you in the direction of your own personal narrow road, mapped out for you by a God who rejoices over you with singing?
Would you be willing to ask Christ to center your focus on Him and remove the clutter…even if it means no longer doing something you like? Do you trust Him that He has something better?
When Christ asked His disciples to follow Him, they left everything and did it. When He sent them out, He told them to travel light. All they needed was Him. May we trust His love enough to know that the same is true for us!
Memory Scripture:
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Prayer:
Father, you say that if we will give you our lives, You will give us that which is truly life! You promised through Jeremiah that You would grant us “singleness of heart and action”, taking the precious energy You have given us and making it laser-focused for Your glorious purposes. I pray that You will give us the desire to follow Your way, and know in our hearts that it truly is the best way! Protect us from the enemy’s lies about an easier path. Clear out all the clutter in our lives, in our homes, in our schedules, in our minds, and in our hearts. Help us to make the most of our time on this earth for Your glory and praise! In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
