While Kondo and her principles are not necessarily Christian, there is something to be said of the underlying concept. Singer Michael Card wrote a song that said “It's hard to imagine the freedom we find
from the things we leave behind”, in which he encouraged us to consider how the disciples left their lives behind, followed Christ, and found freedom and joy in doing so.
Looking in the church’s old storage unit outside this week and seeing the clutter and junk that had accumulated there, and realizing how the unit was likely a haven for snakes and other unwanted critters, it got me to thinking about the way that we hang onto things in our life—often to our own detriment. It could be physical things that clutter up our lives, but it could also be emotional baggage we refuse to deal with, old grudges we won’t let go of, or even patterns and habits in our lives that no longer serve a purpose and hold us back from moving on to what God has for us.
What things in your life “do not spark joy”? What would bring freedom and joy if you let go of it? “Stuff” isn’t evil, but the less we tie ourselves to things of this world and earthly habits, the more ready and able we are to serve when God calls.