Have you ever tried to do a new thing, but ended up falling flat on your face? It looks fine and easy when everyone else is doing it, but your experience is just—different.
Having been so inspired by all of the women embracing minimalism over the past several years—I thought I should jump on board as well. I also had the idea that it would be wise to sell our unwanted items rather than just pitch or donate them because our large family is always looking for creative ways to increase income.
This process did not result in the clean and organized home I expected. Actually, quite the opposite. All of the things that were unnecessary, but had been tucked away, found themselves in piles, on tabletops, and in line to have their picture taken to be posted for sale. To add to this mess, I also had shipping supplies, white poster board for my backdrop, and printing labels strewn about. This did not bring me the joy Marie Kondo had promised.
I felt a little defeated that this process had, quite literally, blown up. And despite my efforts to make my home more simple, clean, and pleasant for my family, this just wasn’t working well—and an important truth was revealed.
Something that works really well for someone else may not be right for me—or for me right now. It doesn’t mean it will never work. It could be the process, the timing, or my heart motive. It could be that for now I’m to focus on something else. It could also be that it is for me, and I simply need to find a better method. The key to these answers can only be found in one place.
If I’m not leaning into Jesus as I make these ‘life tweaks’, I’m missing it all. If I don’t invite Him into the conversation of how to spend my days, what to do with my things or my time, or how to bring order and peace into my home—I’m trying in my own strength. And that, my friends, is far too exhausting. It’s much easier to walk through it all, hand-in-hand, with the One who has all the answers.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6).
