In other words, I expected my husband to get rid of many of his books, notebooks, papers and mementos, my sons to take all of their belongings that were stored in our attic, garage and bedrooms, and my daughter to take most of her things that were taking up closet space.It was a bonus that they also took furniture.
My old desk left for Texas. Then I gave away two bookcases. Suddenly one wall of our bedroom became mostly open space, and Pat (the one who moved the painting that started this project months ago) [link] decided that he wanted to rotate our bed 90 degrees from the position that it had occupied for 21 years! AND he had already decided what color he wanted me to paint the room!
Pat had gone from “being stressed” to meddling!! Now my personal space was being impacted … and of course I wasn’t pleased.
If we rotated the bed, we gained legroom but I lost any potential for replacing my old desk. That desk was my “staging area” for things that needed to be carried downstairs … or put away … or filed … or mended … or read … or whatever. It was on my side of the bed, it was my private space, I was already feeling lost without it … and now Pat wanted to rotate the bed to occupy MY SPACE!
Decluttering isn’t any fun when I am the one having to change.
I’m guessing that I’m not alone in the ability to overlook my own clutter. Busyness, possessions, debt, unhealthy relationships, excesses of all kinds can become “clutter.” And that kind of clutter can impact our relationships with others and hinder our own spiritual growth.
But honestly, isn’t it easier to ignore the obvious … no matter how detrimental it may be to us and to others … than it is to commit to change?
We rotated the bed. What a difference it made in the look and feel of the room! And it decreased the probability of my falling back into old habits.
What’s going to be your strategy for doing the same?
Pastor Kit
No comments:
Post a Comment