us to live a cluttered life to fill that vacuum. It’s not that distractions and diversions or clutter trashes our lives, but what it does do is that it blurs our understanding of the clear purpose that God has in mind for the world.”
Tackling
‘spiritual clutter’
L
iving a full life is difficult when you’re distracted by noise and
“busy-ness.” You can help clear clut- ter from your spiritual life when you: • Develop a vision. Reflect on how you can live in ways that make you more open to God’s presence. Cre- ate a “Rule of Life” to gently chart a course for intentionally spending your time. For instance, if you feel God’s presence in nature, make a point to take a daily or weekly walk as you pray or talk with God. By blocking out time for spiri-
tual practices, you free up energy for being present to God. Make it a priority to discover new ways to refresh, calm and re-energize your spirit. • Simplify your calendar. Cut back on the number of commitments you take on—even for your church—and
26 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
set firm ground rules for limiting extracurricular activities for your children. Remember: “no” is a com- plete sentence. • Practice “brain dumping.” Rather than keeping commitments and to-do lists in your head, make a point to write them down. This helps boost your attentiveness. • Pause for meditation and prayer, especially if you’re “too busy.” If your day-to-day life is pulled too thin, you’re more likely to skip over these important aspects of cultivat- ing the spiritual life. On days you’re most stressed or frazzled, it’s par- ticularly important to find time for reflection. • Forgive and reconcile. Embrace the process and emotions that come with giving up old grudges, griev- ances, resentments, bitterness or unhealthy patterns of behavior. Con- sider professional help or spiritual direction as ways to help move past old habits and mindsets that hold you back from being fully engaged in your relationship with Christ and others.
Diana Dworin
Our relationship with clutter The accumulation of extraneous possessions is a topic people of faith have grappled with for centuries. Martin Luther, for example, would be floored by the amount of clutter in our lives, Blanchard said. “In his wildest dreams, Luther probably couldn’t have imagined the amount of stuff most of us have today. He lived in a feudal society where most of the folks he knew were poor peasants,” she said. “Even the richest of the rich in 1500s Germany would have been less well off in terms of material goods than your average American who shops at Walmart or Target—so clutter as we know it probably wasn’t one of his major concerns.”
If Luther were speaking to 21st- century Christians about clutter, he would probably tell them to read the Scriptures and then trust the Spirit to let them know how much stuff was too much, Blanchard said. “On the other hand, he wasn’t totally naïve; he bemoaned Chris- tians’ love of material comfort and capacity for self-deception,” she said. “This is where Christian community can be helpful. Christians should think and meditate together on ‘stuff’ in order to become more aware of their own feelings about it, and to help one another change their rela- tionships to it.”
Examining the ties we have to our possessions is a yearly event at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Augusta, Maine. For many years, members have organized an annual “Giant Lawn Sale” of donated items culled
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