Posts Tagged: mental clutter

“Clutter”

Clutter is a huge problem in my life: books and articles that I haven’t read (or have read, but won’t read again), basketball shoes, items in the garage that I have scavenged, but am not using, things of sentimental value that I never look at—the list goes on and on. Why do I hang onto things that just get in the way? Are these things really that important to me?

And then there are the internal things that I hang onto, hopes that have no hope of ever coming to fruition. The hope that I might see my children again is top of mind on this Father’s Day and most other days as well. The regret for how badly I’ve lived my life in the past. Missed opportunities. Resentments toward others.

Clutter has a million different faces, all of them ugly.

But in this moment, I can begin to declutter. In this moment, I can clean my desk. In this moment, I can throw away the cut flowers that I tried to salvage, even though they were over a week old. In this moment, I can celebrate the fact that I have children, even though I will never see their faces again. I can throw regrets into the garbage can where they belong. Today’s joys and pains are enough. So are my tasks for today.

John the Revelator had a vision of Heaven. It is recorded at the end of the Bible in Revelation 21-22. He saw many lovely things there. He didn’t mention seeing clutter.

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