October 3, 2026
I don’t know why but it always seems like in December I get the urge to declutter everything. Maybe it’s because we put the Christmas decorations up and everything looks different.
I have to say my daughter is much like me. I remember a time several years ago when she was cleaning out and decluttering the girls’ rooms. She was getting rid of toys that they no longer played with, were broken, or had missing pieces.
Lottie was around 4 at the time, and this process of cleaning out disturbed her greatly. She could not understand why “Mama was taking all her toys.” Now, mind you, these were things she probably had not touched in MONTHS. She even made a Christmas list and added all her missing toys to her list.
Over the years, we have laughed about this at her expense. However, I started thinking about how similar my “clutter” was to Lottie’s. I feel like my mind can stay cluttered with a million different things. I can pray about it and say I’m giving it over to God, but then I take it back.
For me, when my mind is cluttered it causes all sorts of issues. It affects my focus, my sleep, my anxiety level, and my coping skills. Clutter distracts me. I am sure God does not want me to live this way. In Hebrews 12:1, the Bible says “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
When my mind is cluttered, it ensnares me. I have to realize that those things are not productive in any way, shape or form, and I have to get rid of the clutter. The clutter is not useful and doesn’t need to be played with, just like Lottie’s toys that she no longer needed.
What Lottie didn’t realize because she was young was that she would be getting new and better toys for Christmas. Once she has those new toys, she won’t even miss her old ones.
Sometimes we have to get rid of the clutter in our mind so that God can work in and through us. Honestly, sometimes it’s a brand-new thing that we would not even have if we held onto the old “clutter.”
My pastor on Sunday used this line in his sermon “Great moves of God are usually preceded by simple acts of obedience.” For me, I think getting rid of the clutter in my mind is an act of obedience to God. He didn’t intend for me to lose focus, lose sleep, have anxiety or any of the other things that clutter causes.
I want to see God move in a great way. I’m sure you do too. Let’s make a conscious effort to get rid of the clutter, whether physical or mental. Let’s be obedient to God and put aside the things that physically and mentally ensnare us. Let’s look forward to the “new” things God can and will do if we are obedient.
Lottie was so very happy on Christmas. She didn’t even miss anything that her mom cleaned out and decluttered. I know that we will be so happy if we allow God to declutter our minds. Let’s surround and encourage each other to lay aside our “clutter” and run the race, whatever that may be, that is in front of us.
Our days will be much happier and fulfilling as well. Who knows what gifts God might have in store for us in 2024 if we just clear our minds and focus on HIM.
My goal is to move aside the clutter in my mind to see God move in a great way. And by the way, if you don’t have clutter to clean up in your house and want to come help me declutter mine, I will gladly accept your assistance.
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
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