There’s a beautiful thing about decluttering your home and living with less.
And there’s definitely a craze around tidying right now, with the rise of Marie Kondo’s Netflix show and her New York Times bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
I’ll be honest with you: I’ve absolutely hopped on that train. Seth and I were decluttering our little apartment within minutes after watching one episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. We piled all our clothes into a mountain on the bed, took each item one by one, and asked ourselves the question, “Does this spark joy?” (Okay, we might not have actually asked that for every item like we were supposed to. But it’s a neat concept.)
We got rid of three trash bags of clothing, along with quite a few books, kitchen items, and old Christmas cards we just don’t need anymore. The clothes we do have are now folded Marie Kondo-style, standing up vertically in the drawers instead of stacked on top of each other. I will say, though this method of folding takes a little longer, it saves a lot of space and makes it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for when you’re getting ready in the morning.
Anyhow, we also watched a Netflix documentary called Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. These guys were really living out their belief that material goods aren’t necessary to a life of fulfillment and purpose. They were hardcore, and one guy in particular could fit all his possessions into a single backpack. That’s pretty impressive.
Both of these trends, decluttering and minimalism, aren’t just presenting a solution to clutter and excessive lifestyles. They’re presenting a path to joy.
Marie Kondo believes that a tidy house brings a tidy mind and a happy home. Those interviewed on the Minimalism documentary believe that rejecting materialism brings satisfaction and happiness.
Like I said, there is something beautiful about tidying your home. There is a draw in having little, because little is needed. There is something lovely about being in a clean, clutter-free home. I know that, because right now I’m living in one (although, who knows how long that will last). There is something so attractive about getting rid of material things so you can focus on what really matters in life. Please hear me when I say that these are good things. I like these things.
But these things in themselves are not the path to joy. You’re not going to find fulfillment in decluttering your home. You’re not going to find fulfillment in selling everything you own and living out of a backpack. Having less doesn’t guarantee happiness.
I think Jesus was a minimalist. Jesus didn’t have a home. He asked his disciples to leave their homes and possessions and jobs. He didn’t carry a lot of baggage as he took his ministry from place to place.
And Jesus was clear that there’s no reason for us to have so much stuff. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I love the Message version of Jesus’s words in this passage: “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”
The difference between the message of Jesus and the cultural messages of decluttering and minimalism is that Jesus never said or even suggested that having less is the path to finding joy. Jesus didn’t tell us to avoid storing up treasures on earth because less treasures equals more happiness. Jesus told us to avoid storing up treasures on earth because that’s putting our energy into something that is without eternal value.
Jesus wants us to prioritize. He wants us to put our energy into what matters. He wants us to spend our time on earth loving our neighbors and investing in those around us. He wants us to focus our hearts on God. He wants us to see our treasure rooted in heaven, because “the place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”
So go ahead and tidy your house. Declutter your junk drawer. Donate those clothes you don’t wear anymore. Live with less.
Just don’t think that’s going to bring you joy.
True joy is found in Jesus. True joy is found when we fix our eyes on him, on heaven, on what really matters. True joy is found when we understand where our treasure is.
That’s true joy.
By the way, never forget… you are onederfully created.
Love,
Becca
I really enjoyed this post and found the perspective quite interesting. Thanks for allowing the Lord to lead you and sharing this with us.
Nia, thanks so much for reading! I do feel like this is a unique perspective on such a popular topic in today’s culture. But I think it’s good for all of us to think about cultural trends and what they mean to us in the context of our faith 🙂
Baca, Thanks so much for the reminder. Somedays it’s easy to forget why we are really here on this earth. Good read.
Thanks for reading Maggie! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I definitely agree… it’s so important to keep things in perspective.
I love this post Becca! Such a good perspective on these current trends.
Thank you, Hannah! And thanks for sharing it on your blog, too 🙂
Great reminder, Becca. Thanks for reminding us not to get wrapped up in Marie Kondo, like we are quite likely to do, but to keep our focus on Jesus!
Thanks so much, Wendy! Yes – in all we do, whether we’re tidying our homes or working or just enjoying life, Jesus should always be our focus.
As someone who is now going through 50+ years of stuff, I urge younger people, like my kids, (including Mary), to be diligent to avoid accumulating stuff. I find Marie Kondo’s method makes me less inclined to purchase more and helps in evaluating purchases. I also like how following her method does help bring about a change in lifestyle and way of thinking. It’s a healthy corrective for our culture that reflects what Jesus values.
LuAnn, thanks so much for sharing your perspective on this! I agree… it’s so helpful to transform our way of thinking when it comes to materialism in our culture.
Enjoyed this post made me stop and think I need to focus more on Jesus and not so much on other things Thanks
Dory, so glad you enjoyed the post! Thank you for reading!
Wow, yes and Amen. As I started watching the Netflix series by Marie Kondo I definitely felt there was going to be a cultural wave of believing that minimalism was going to somehow lead to fulfilment, joy, or enlightenment. I love that you’ve reinforced Jesus’ words and his message here. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thanks so much for reading and for your kind words, Rachel! YES. I can definitely see that wave as well… so important to always keep Jesus at the center of our vision.
Such a great point! I’m always up for a good decluttering session (I read Marie’s book a few years ago, haven’t seen the show yet). But we need to remember that the goal of decluttering should be to reduce our dependency and emotional attachment to material things, and focus more on God. I’ve read that C.S. Lewis kept only one thing on the walls of his bedroom: an image of Jesus’ face in the shroud of Turin. He said that helped him stay focused on Jesus. I may not ever be THAT minimalist, but it’s a great goal to keep in mind as I’m decluttering!
Thanks for reading Barbara! I love that story about C.S. Lewis, that paints a powerful image. Our lives should be centered on Jesus, not on the things around us!
WOW! Becca, I am so glad I read this life-changing blog post on pintrest today! It’s Easter Sunday 2020; my state is under “shelter-at-home” orders to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic; my husband I are semiretired teachers struggling to adapt our lessons to on-line meetings (with high school and college students) for the rest of the school year; we both turned 65-yrs-young in the last 10 days; we both volunteer at our churches; and we have been working on decluttering so we can downsize. Needless to say, you have inspired me to keep my focus on JESUS during this weird time and keep working for HIM at this stage of our life. Thank you for being so articulate as you share your skills.
Kathie, thank you so much for reading! I’m glad you found and read this post at a time when it really resonated with you and your circumstances. We are in such weird times… as a fellow teacher, I can relate to the struggle of trying to adapt lessons to an online format. It’s so hard! And so is this social distancing. You are so right… we need to keep our eyes on Jesus even when the world is in such a chaotic state. God never changes, even when everything else does. Thanks again for reading, and thank you for your encouraging words!