I’ve never been a very organized person.  I did not grow up in a home where there was a place for everything, and everything was in its place.  I don’t find organizing exhilarating or rewarding.  My desk at work is piled high, and I know exactly where everything is in the mess.  Except no one else does, and that could present a problem if your boss is looking for something.

I believe organization is a gift, one which I do not have. Oh, I do try.  My children’s’ rooms can stay organized, for about an hour.  I clean out my pantry every so often, when it gets to the point that I cannot find what I am looking for, but know it’s in there somewhere.  I will tidy up a bookshelf now and then, but for the most part, I live in a state of utter disorganization.  What I see every day when I walk into my home is unavoidable.

Clutter.

It has a way of growing.  Left unattended it will spread from room to room faster than the common cold.  I admit it.  I have clutter in my home.  I’ve seen worse, but I could do better.  Everywhere I look there are piles of papers, stacks of books, and cluttered messes that I can never seem to get on top of.

But what about the clutter that I cannot see?

If it’s true that only God call fill the void of an aching heart, why does my heart still ache?  Perhaps my heart is filled with clutter — messes left unattended to, disappointments from dreams left unfulfilled, bitterness, anger, resentment, pride…so much clutter.  It’s smothering, but at the same time all too familiar.  Is it possible to become attached to clutter, to the point that you really aren’t sure where you would be without it? 

The process of decluttering can be painful, as we take portions of our messy lives and try to compartmentalize them into neat and tidy boxes, messes hidden from the wold, realities left unexposed, or so it seems.  

Clutter is an internal disease, a heart condition. Cluttered homes and lives are merely outward representations of what’s happening on the inside.  (From Clutter to Clarity)

I came across this quote and it really hit me.  My cluttered home is an outward representation of a heart that is overwhelmed with clutter — the clutter of this world, my own selfish ways, my desire for worldly pleasures.  The clutter in my heart can become so overwhelming that it dulls the ache inside for the very presence of the Living God.  As long as my heart continues to be crowded with these things, the ache in my heart will never be satisfied.

I desperately need God to come and clear away the clutter in my heart.  I need Him to come and sweep the dust that is contaminating the very air that I breathe.  I need Him to come and remove the cobwebs that are attracting that which comes to kill, steal and destroy.  When the clutter in my heart is cleared away, my eyes will once again be open to see Him, as I set my heart once again on what is eternal and lasting.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  (Matthew 6:19-20)

Are you overwhelmed with clutter in your life?  Invite God in and allow Him to clear away the clutter so that you can see and Hear Him clearly.