So many of us are worried about the clutter in our homes, whether it’s that messy bedroom you can never seem to get organized or a pile of knickknacks that don’t really have a place in your house. Some people even made a New Year’s resolution to address the clutter in their homes in 2022. Finding a solution and the motivation to start working on the overwhelming mess can be challenging, but there are plenty of people out there willing to help you and many words of wisdom from the Bible to help motivate you to get your life organized. For example, many businesses offer storage solutions, whether you’re searching self storage Hawaii or anywhere else around the country.
Clutter can be overwhelming to the point that it affects our happiness or even threatens our health. So, it’s vital to organize your home and keep the clutter down to live a happier, healthier life. But what advice does the Bible have to point us in the right direction? Today, we’ll explore some passages from the scriptures that can help you get organized and declutter your space.
Matthew 6:19-21
This verse from the Bible states, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This passage has many translations and can be used to reference various struggles. However, it can play a significant role in addressing one of the most common causes of clutter, which is the simple phrase, “I’m saving it in case I need it later.”
How many times have you heard that phrase? Many of us have heard it countless times and probably used it just as many. While it’s good to have a few spare things stored for emergencies, that doesn’t mean we have to save everything that could be used later, as that only creates clutter. The verse says to not lay up our treasures on Earth where moths and rust destroy. The passage goes on to talk about how God will take care of all of our needs. So, if you don’t really need that mix-and-match box of assorted nuts, bolts, and screws, donate it to someone who could use it. If you have a bunch of clothes stored away in your bedroom that you don’t wear, consider donating them. We don’t need to save everything we have. It’s not wasteful to know when enough is enough and get rid of our excess Earthly treasures. This simple act of giving back can cause a lot to others who are less fortunate and in need. Simple donations you can provide have an equivalent amount that could drive different outcomes, such as feeding programs, funding a free clinic, and educational funds.
Ecclesiastes 3:6
This verse says, “[A] time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.”
Chapter 3 of the book of Ecclesiastes discusses how there is a time for everything. Verse 6 explicitly addresses how there is a time to seek, lose, keep, and cast away. This statement can be translated to a time to seek new things, lose things, keep things, and throw them out. The scripture is trying to convey that the time to keep can’t be all the time. We need to learn when to keep the things we want to keep and when we need to get rid of them. Whether you’re tossing them out, recycling things, or donating them, there has to be a time to cast away the things we don’t have room for, don’t need, or can’t use any longer. There’s no sense in holding on to these things and allowing them to impact our lives negatively.
Decluttering Your Life
Though these are only a couple of verses from the Bible addressing clutter, there are many more. So, open up your NRSV Bible and check them out for yourself so you can find the motivation to declutter and organize your life.