December 4, 2021

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;… 

a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;       Ecclesiastes 3:1-2,6

Through our home organization business, we have seen just about everything. We have seen crowded garages, overstuffed closets, piles you have to make goat paths across, and various sundries we cannot even mention. 

We absolutely love what we do. We get to see the direct impact getting rid of clutter or organizing has on a person’s mental health. 

What makes the work exciting is that every job, every house, every client is completely different. Some clients show us “their mess” while we stand back and ask where the rest of it is. Everyone has a different relationship with what they find overwhelming. Clutter is so subjective. 

One common theme, however, is what we have dubbed the “I’m gonna pile.” We probably all have a pile, drawer, or tote of these items. Things I’m gonna make, or fix, or do. Maybe it’s scrapbook paper for the scrapbooks you are going to make, or the yarn for the sweater you are going to knit, or the jars for the jam you are going to make. 

We hope this is something we are going to get around to doing someday. 

However, the tough reality is that if we are honest with ourselves, there is no hope that we are actually going to do these things. But getting rid of these items has a deeper meaning for many people. It’s like we are giving up on our hopes and dreams. Letting go of those items means our hopes won’t come true. 

When it comes to home organization, we need to first have self-acceptance. It’s ok if we don’t fulfil these hopes. We are making room for things we will actually do, rather than feel guilty for not completing these activities every time we see the items. 

Hope is not without questions or doubts. But with the help of God, hope rises above despair. 

God can also help us declutter our minds during this busy season, making room for what’s really important. Take time to sit quietly, enjoy your surroundings, and clear your mind to see God’s blessings, thinking of the hope that is yet to come. 

Prayer:  O, God of hope, we remember today that Jesus is our hope – and the hope of the world. We thank God for the promises he has made to us. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice that announces his birth. Help us to clear our minds this advent season, to prepare room for what is really important. Amen

Laura Churchill Duke is an author, journalist, professional home organizer, and this year a communications professor at Acadia University. She lives in Kentville with her family and hopes for a time when she can travel again.