The New Year brings a great opportunity to examine life and consider necessary changes or resolutions.
In looking ahead at the New Year and all that we desire for it, we sometimes look at what we lack and then try to compensate for that. For example, one year I lacked good health, so I bought a gym membership. Subsequently, every year has brought something new: running shoes, books for learning a foreign language, cookware for eating better and the list goes on.
Try Something Different This Year
If you're anything like me, you may be a month into the New Year looking around at the new additions to your life—the noise, the stuff and the activities—wondering if they're really helping.
What if you tried something different this year? What if you broke the pattern of always adding to your life and instead chose to remove some things for its betterment?
Recently, I came to the conclusion that I needed to do this. The more I looked at Scripture and examined my life in comparison to what it said, I realized that adding more stuff wasn't what I needed. In fact, I lacked something that couldn't be fulfilled by adding something else.
I lacked space.
I needed space to hear the voice of God in my life. I needed space to be a more sensitive husband—space to be a more engaged father. I needed space to be the pastor God was calling me to be.
I needed freedom from the unnecessary things that cluttered my heart and mind. So here are some ways to de-clutter your heart and mind. It is my hope that through this you will find renewal and a renewed focus.
1. Mute the noise.
Let's face it. We live in a time and culture that is overloaded by information. Through technology and media, we have unprecedented access to data, entertainment and "connectivity." But it's important to be cautious to insure that we're allowing these resources to be helpful rather than hurtful.
As a family, we removed cable TV and now spend much more time together playing games and talking.
I also bought an alarm clock and moved my phone away from my bed. As a result, I'm more prone to spend my early mornings in prayer rather than on social media. I'm also trying to stay away from email in the evenings.
Tips for Muting the Noise:
Lacking quality family time? Turn off the TV during dinner.
Spending too much time on your smartphone? Delete those apps.
Is your family too dependent on technology? Call for one evening of the week to be technology free.
2. Just say no.
Are you directing your schedule or is it directing you?
One Sunday, I remember being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of our commitments: morning worship gatherings with our church, a baseball practice for our oldest son, a birthday party for our friend's son, a wedding shower for another friend, an activity with our church student ministry and then a fellowship with our small group that evening.
Crazy days like this had become too regular.
It was time to kindly decline some invitations, block family time on our calendars and simply spend more time at home together. It's amazing what joy we now find in an afternoon or evening in our home to unwind.
Tips for Saying No:
Write down some things that are important to you and your family.
Then, schedule out a weekly or monthly time to do this.
Stick to the plan.
3. Get rid of excess stuff.
Most people aren't true hoarders, but it's amazing how stuff can accumulate over time. While there is nothing innately wrong with possessions, our hearts can be easily distracted by stuff.
For most people, the more we have, the harder it is to keep up with it. If you have a larger house, it may demand more time to maintain. If you find it impossible at times to manage the laundry pile, play room or garage, that may mean you've got kids, a dog or you just need to organize.
But it also may mean you have too much stuff.
There's no exact formula for how much is too much, but if you spend more time focusing on your stuff than you do on God and people, you may need to make some changes.
Tips for Getting Rid of Excess Stuff:
It's not easy to let go of things, but be mindful that you're trading it in for better things such as more time with family and friends, less stress and more energy.
Article courtesy of HomeLife Magazine.
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