There is a revolution going on right inside our homes, one that is calling each of us to take up our dust mops and measuring tapes and get our personal habitats clean and organized.
You’d be hard-pressed to know this from looking at my house, but I am a big fan of the books, experts, and TV shows that are transforming people’s untidy, even toxic spaces into lovely, livable bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and offices.
I’m sure many of you dismiss the trend as being overly fussy, or perhaps you’re a born neatnik who needs no assistance in keeping an orderly house.
The reasons for my own enthusiasm are both aesthetic and spiritual. I believe there is a connection between the state of our soul, or our interior life, and the state of our personal environment. Most people can feel the ‘spirit of place’ when they enter a home, even if they know nothing about the owners. The impression can be anything from holy and peaceful or warm and welcoming to dull, gloomy, jangling on the nerves, or downright oppressive. Undoubtedly part of this sense is informed by the visual clues, but some of it may be due to spiritual presences attracted to that environment, and some from the human emotions that play out in it day and night.
My favorite organizational expert is Dawna Walter, who hosts “The Life Laundry” on TV. She has made a specialty of gently rescuing people from years of accumulated junk that is overwhelming their lives. Aside from the sheer inconvenience of having rooms piled so high with forgotten possessions that the rooms – and the clutter – cease to have any utility, people living in such surroundings tend to be disconnected from reality. This has both psychological and spiritual implications. After all, God put Adam and Eve in charge of the material world, not at its mercy.
Dawna Walter has a gift for discerning whether a clutter-ridden client is emotionally stuck in a painful past, or simply unable to cope with the unholy mess of their household accretions. She then leads them into a state of healing and clarity by helping them to confront their junk and finally sort it out. She brings them into their present moment by encouraging them to keep only those items that are relevant, useful, or have special meaning. I’ve been deeply moved by some of the physical and personal transformations achieved in “The Life Laundry.”
The subject is far more important than mere home decoration. We must be masters of our habitats because God calls us to be good stewards of the earth and of our assets. This includes refraining from buying piles of things we don’t need; keeping our belongings in good repair; and choosing to create an environment, howe’er so humble, in which the soul can rest and be nourished. Stewardship also implies steering a middle path between being overwhelmed by or over-attached to our stuff.
If we maintain a right relationship with our belongings, we’ll be prepared to open our homes to others occasionally in order to minister to them, whether through hosting a small group, sharing a cup of tea with a friend, or helping strangers – which can lead to “entertaining angels unawares.” We will also be able to part readily with our possessions and even our homes if called by God to do so. I recall two notable stories in the Gospels in which men asked Jesus if they could become his disciples, but they couldn’t make the cut because of their fondness for comfort. One was the rich young man who told Jesus that he had kept all the commandments since he was boy, and wanted to know what he still lacked. Jesus answered,
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. (MT 19:16-30)
In the other story, a man walking along the road beside Jesus said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied,
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58)
There is no further record of either would-be disciple.
Is your life cluttered, disorganized, or downright dirty in places? If so, take heart. The Lord makes all things new. Let’s offer our messy habits and habitats to God, get down on our knees and … scrub!
© 2004 by Cynthia Edwards. All rights reserved.
