“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.” 
― Daniel Defoe

Springtime is upon us. The sun is shining with intent these days and shedding light on many dusty spaces in our homes and automobiles. If you’re anything like me it’s time to dust and de-clutter – it’s time to sift and sell – it’s time to part with several things that have taken up residence around me for no good reason at all. The pile up of leftover Christmas paper, winter clothing that is no longer needed, empty gift boxes and quite frankly many items whose importance has worn away with time.

But what about our souls?

Is it possible that our souls can also become cluttered? Is it too far stretched to say that many things take up residence deep within our being and just need to be cleaned out? Has the luster of our soul been lost or perhaps failed to appear lost in the clutter that keeps it hidden.

Day in and day out the world around begs for a spot in our soul. We are marketed to minute by minute. Podcasts, Youtube videos, social media sites, television, radio, internet ads, work deadlines and the list goes one – all vying for our attention – loading us up with information – competing for space in our heart’s center until we explode. How can we possibly digest any more information? This precious soul real estate has been overtaken. Our claim is no longer recognized as we’ve been covered up by the clutter of the crowd.

So what now?

I loved reading Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” The book was quite interesting to me. Marie Kondo used a unique approach to help us release the need to hang on to unnecessary things in our homes and surroundings. Even though her book addressed the de-cluttering of materialist items – the language she used can speak to the heart of most of us when considering the clutter we find in our souls.

The very same things can be said of the clutter that we leave unattended in our soul. How quickly we make special place for fear, hurt, comparison, judgement and shame. We are left with no room for faith, happiness, rejoicing, encouragement or confidence. Our walk does not match our talk. It’s time for a Soul De-cluttering session.

Soul De-Cluttering

Let’s take a journey together to de-clutter and clear away the stuff that gets left around the rooms of our soul.

1. Turn off the noise

“Keep only things that speak to your heart”. 

Scrolling, darting eyes and noisy space keep us entertained and occupied. Looking for the flashy stuff has become the norm. What if we turn it off? As extreme as this sounds – it really is possible. Start small. Set limits on your social media time, pick one day a week to go media-free, take a walk at lunch and listen to only nature, silence your devices during dinner or clear your schedule for quiet time each day – maybe 5-10 minutes with nothing but silence. Allow your soul to emerge – listen to the language of your heart and soul and release the clutter that has made a home there for so long. This tangible task is powerful and has the ability to make quite a difference in our Soul De-clutter.

2. catch and release

“Clutter represents indecisions”. 

As you begin to notice the clutter – it’s imperative that you catch each piece, recognize it then release. In your journey to de-cluttering it’s quite possible to find things which have taken up space for many years. These things have become permanent tenants and the space where they once resided will seem lonely and bare without them there. Spend a little time noticing the clutter you’ve held onto for so long. Don’t be afraid tackle the dark spaces – cleaning out cob-webs and dust bunnies can be a messy chore, but it must be done. Consider how it came to reside here initially. Why did it never leave? Have you felt comfort in pulling it out if the opportunity ever arose? Maybe you didn’t intend for it to stay so long, but now it’s just a part of who you are. Whatever the reason and however long it has resided – you must catch and release. Be honest with yourself, call the clutter as it is then release it to go. This space is valuable and can only be refilled with life-giving nourishment when the clutter is cleared away.

3. Be picky

“Cherish the things you love. Cherish Yourself.”

There is absolutely no greater feeling than when you’ve spent the day cleaning out that junk drawer, the back of the pantry or the battlefield that is under the bathroom sink. It is amazing how much more space we seem to have when the expired canned goods, coupons and hair product are gone. Once you’ve spent time identifying your soul clutter and releasing it to go – be picky about what you allow to fill your soul space. Maybe you quit something, maybe you leave a few spots completely empty, maybe you fill it up with that thing that you’ve never had room to have before. Take your time and be picky here. Your soul is valuable real estate. Your space is special and not meant for just anything that comes along. Be quick to recognize what stays and what goes. Deal with emotions right away. Keep your space tidy and attended to by keeping the noise low and calling the clutter out when it shows up. You are the housekeeper of your soul.

Psalm 139:13-14

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.