Detachment/Decluttering

I am reprinting this from a previous post to the list. I think it's appropriate during lent and it's also the reality of what I am trying to do with many things in my life.

Dear Sisters,

How do we detach ourselves from things of this world? While the saints are far more qualified to write about this than, I ever will be, sometimes it is hard for us to see what their writings mean for us, as wives and mothers. I hope I will be able to give a little perspective. In this section I am going to write about attachments to clutter and things in our homes because I have already written about attachments and detachment in terms of our spirituality.

A quote from St. Teresa of Avila really sums up the issue of clutter. If we fill the palace with vulgar people and all kinds of junk, how can the Lord and His Court occupy it?” We need to get rid of the junk in our lives. It is really as simple as that. Things in your home should immediately lead you to God. If they don’t, we need to rid ourselves of them.

How many of us and said I don’t have time for prayer and yet we spend much of our time moving clutter form one location to another? If we can only let go of what does not lead us to God, then, we can be free to spend more time with Him. I am not proposing you discard everything in your home, but rather that you let go of the excess. This is a freeing exercise!

This type of virtue is not achieved in a week. We have had many years to cultivate our weakness and so it is a long struggle to win the battle. Clutters, and other distractions, creep into our lives. Often, we never notice until we are buried in them. As we begin to remove junk from our lives, we will see that it is multi-level. I have purged our home to what I felt were the necessities only to look around now, and see I need to go deeper, much deeper. I am not sure the process will ever be complete but I can say that as I let go of things there is more order to my home and I feel calmer.

Clutter in a home is almost a given. We can become desensitized to seeing clutter in our own homes, but rarely do we have a clutter-free home. Clutter drains our emotional and physical energy. We let our prayer lives suffer because we have to work to take care or our clutter. Things spiral downhill from there. If this sounds odd, read the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Clutter sneaks in gradually until it has take over our lives.

As there are many wonderful books about decluttering. I will not spend much time on that subject. I do want to give some general information and share a lesson or two I have learned.

Before decluttering, consideration needs to be given to organization. Organization can help the things we have point us to God. I can see the books on the bookshelves as tools by which God allows me to educate my children. However, if I look at the ones on the floor in from of the overcrowded shelf, it is easier to see them as junk. We need to achieve balance. We don’t want to discard material we will be using with another child, but if it isn’t something we are going to use again, then perhaps it is time to let go of it.

We need to have a clear picture of where our things belong so we can put them there. If we do not have a place for something, it is probably because it isn’t a priority in our life and we should get rid of it. There are many great organizing devices available but we cannot let them become clutter I our lives. We should use them only if they are functional and fit the needs of your family. If we cannot afford these items be creative. There are many things we can recycle into organizers. The same rule applies to recycled organizers was purchased ones though; if it isn’t functional, get rid of it.
So, here’s my technique as applied to a mom:
1) Use manageable amounts of time. I think 15-minute increments are great. It is so easy for us to get distracted and leave a mess for ourselves. If you find you have more time that 15 minutes to work, then just do an extra 15-minute block. Don’t get into more than can possibly be finished in a short time.
2) Be prepared. When decluttering, have a trashcan, a “give-away” box, and a box for stuff that goes elsewhere. Some folks might suggest a “maybe” box, but we don’t have time for that. Make the decision.
3) Do it and be done with it. When I declutter, I first remove all items from an area. Then, I clean the area. Finally, I replace what needs to be there and put the rest in the appropriate container. When I finish, the containers are put in the trash, the give way is put in the car and the other stuff is put in its place. I want to get the stuff leaving the house out as quickly as possible or it will grow legs and come back. I just know it!

The biggest challenge to decluttering is our attachment to the clutter. It makes us feel comfortable. True detachment leads to decluttering and takes prayer and action. We need to pray not only to identify the attachments, but for the strength to let go of them. Once we have uncovered them, we need to remove them so we do not have an opportunity to keep returning to them. At times it is an easy process and, sometimes, it’s a difficult process. May God give you the strength and courage!

Sisters in the Trinity,
Marion