Cleaning and Decluttering (again, it's never ending)

Imagine your ideal life. Now think about
the life you are actually living.
Does the stuff you own contribute
to the life you are hoping to achieve,
or is it getting in the way of that vision?
Peter Walsh

This is a favorite quote of HomeSpun Heart on a new book she is currently reading that is now on my to be read list. It is called It's All Too Much and is from the guy on the TV show Clean Sweep.

Thanks HomeSpun Heart (I do need to learn you REAL name) for the tip!! :)

When I think about my ideal life, I imagine a family full of joy and the Love of the Lord. Serving Him with all our hearts and sharing His love, mercy and grace with all those we come in contact with. A family full of love and peace.

I imagine a home where everything has a place and everything in it's place. Lots of BRIGHT and open space (not cluttered by piles of stuff here and there). Freshly cut flowers from the flower garden adorning tables and nightstands, filling the house with a heavenly aroma. Standing in the kitchen with my girls making dinner from scratch with veggies freshly brought in from the garden. Aprons hanging up, covered with a smidgen of dust from the garden and flour from baking. Homemade quilts and afghans hanging on the quilt rack. Books and Books and BOOKS lined up neat and orderly along a built in bookshelf/library.

I imagine a life where we are able to have friends and neighbors and the poor and hungry over anytime, without having to do a dash run to clean up the house. I imagine being able to have time to experiment and explore with the children rather than always telling them to clean (and always cleaning myself). A life where we are free and clear of all forms of clutter (in our house and in our minds).

I have spent a lot of time today decluttering in the basement. I have a LOT of stuff to get rid of. My husband wants to look at everything before getting rid of it. That really is frustrating. I have to explain WHY I am getting rid of something.

Now of course, I know a submissive wife is NOT supposed to get all riled up about this, but I did. And then I began to think about it.

If the Lord had asked me to explain why I was getting rid of every item, wouldn't I say "Yes Lord, with pleasure!" And then joyfully picked up each item and explained why I felt it was good to declutter this item??!! Of course I would!

And yet, even though I am to submit to my husband AS UNTO THE LORD (Eph 5:22), I still struggle with him. So after this realization, I came to the conclusion that this really is a GOOD thing. Not only am I getting a reminder of just how much I need to work on the area of submission, but also I get a lesson on what I have purchased and brought into this house that has been more of a hindrance to the life we want to live. When added up what I spent on all those items, all that money that could have been spent to send our WHOLE family (family of 6) on a cruise for a week!

It amazes me how often we don't have money for things. I am quickly realizing that we would have money for things if I didn't spend it so frivolously thinking it was something that would be used. I need to be much more thoughtful about EVERY purchase (even those 25 cent books at Goodwill!). It really does add up.

I am thinking that next time I am tempted to spend money on a book or other item, if it really isn't something I need (or that would TRULY benefit our family), then I keep track and put that money in a special account. It would be nice to go back to Disneyland, or on a Disney Cruise! or to buy that laptop I want or an iPod or new camera. Wow! Just think of all the family building things I COULD have spent that money on that would last MUCH longer than a few months/years in our house and then sold at a garage sale for pennies compared to what I paid for it.