Author Jeff Manion once decided to de-clutter his life. His goal was to throw out or give away five items every day. Over a period of six weeks, he got rid of outdated video tapes and DVDs, old sneakers, and more than a few things from the garage. At the end of that short period, Jeff succeeded in tossing out a total of 210 items.
He thought he’d feel relief. Instead, he felt disappointment – not because he missed the things he’d gotten rid of but because his life was no different in their absence. He realized he’d surrounded himself with stuff that added no value to his life whatsoever. Maybe worse, he wondered how much more he’d have to part with before he got to something that actually mattered to him.
If you and I take a look at all of our “stuff,” everything probably seems pretty important to our day-to-day happiness, but how much of it is truly meaningful? How much of it drains us of energy and time we could otherwise give to our spouse, our children, our church, or our friends?
“More” doesn’t always mean “better.” Simplifying isn’t just about how much “stuff.” It’s about surrounding ourselves with what fills our lives with meaning and purpose. De-cluttering not only offers us more physical space, it offers more emotional space as well, which means more room to fill up with what will really brings us life: relationships.
