Decluttering and living simply seems to be a trend that is popular on social media. Pages are filled with how to get rid of the excess stuff in our lives, though at the same time pages are also filled with adverts convincing us that we need some of that really useless “stuff.” Attempting to live simply is often a pushback against the consumerism that has taken over our culture. For a whole range of reasons, many people are trying to simplify their lives.
Decluttering is something we are often aware of needing to do with our minds. The busy thoughts take over our lives and push us in all sorts of directions. It is easy to get anxious because of these thoughts that pervade our mental space. It fills our mind with clutter, that like the physical stuff we have in our lives, takes over the mental space and stops us from using our minds effectively.
But what about our hearts? The word translated in our New Testament’s as “repent” literally means a change of heart. It is not about a mental tick list of belief, but rather a change in how we live and love our world. As we work through the season of Lent, what would it look like to declutter our hearts?