I absolutely HATE clutter! Even organized clutter stresses me out. I've always been this way. Even as a child I didn't want a lot of toys but what I did want, I wanted! This has manifested in my life in how I decorate my home, how much I don't keep in storage, and in my closet (although I do like shoes). Considering how I have lived and currently live, it helps explain how our tiny home works for us. The question we get asked all of the time is: how can you live in such a confined space? Not having or needing stuff is part of the answer. But clutter can be sneaky.
It's not the big items that get out of control. It's the little things that accumulate amazingly fast that cause clutter to happen. Suddenly, it seems, you're out of space and don't know why. It's actually pretty easy to keep the essential things neat and organized, but that is not the case with all of the small things... things that I brought with us that seemed important at the time but now need my attention...things that create chaos which leads to an increase in stress. Like I said; sneaky.
A friend recently gave me a timely word of wisdom. She could see I was struggling with being tired and feeling overwhelmed with the pace of our life. She identified I was out of rhythm and had not yet found a new one. Because of this, I was having difficulty prioritizing, focusing, and keeping balanced. Clutter equals chaos and that is not how Jesus intends for us to live. Clutter can keep us joyless and ineffective.
Last weekend, in Miami, I had a word from Jesus for a man during one of our clinics. The word was that the business the man was currently pursuing was the cup Jesus had prepared for his life. It was the word "cup" that was impactful to him. You see, this young man loves and is passionate about coffee. He is a coffee consultant. An expert in coffee at his level is called a "cupper". His dream and vision are to open a coffee shop in Miami that is about more than just getting great coffee but is a place where true community happens and where all types of people can encounter Jesus... but discouragement and doubt had begun to creep in as he became overwhelmed in the pursuit of his dream.
What the word did was reaffirm the dream, that who he is and what he loves is from God and that God plans to use it to draw people to himself. The word also helps him to stay focused as he pursues the realization of his dream. Clutter wanted to sneak in but God was telling him to stay on course, to keep the main thing the main thing, and to trust him with the hard stuff.
I was given a coffee cup with a message that helps remind me and encourages me every day and that I can savor a good cup of coffee in: Live Simply