Continuing with my post from yesterday, today i did a different cleaning.  The cleaning out of all my old emails.  Thats right, I attacked a mountain of 1000 emails since the beginning of the year.  Why?  Because I like to be able to go back and find conversations, things from friends and family, and important items needed for school.  Who can do that staring at 1000 unorganized emails?  An hour later, all my emails are labeled, filed, and the list is much shorter.  More than 700 emails went into the trash!  With one click, they were all gone.  While I’m probably overstating this, I now have this great sense of freedom.

Notice I didn’t throw them all away?  How does this relate to life?

Having a cluttered life can really bring someone down.  Not only is it hard to get around, eventually the stress of all the clutter brings you down.  I always give my in-laws a hard time for all the useless “stuff” they have sitting around their house.  What I always fail to take into account is there is more than 30 years of “stuff” they’ve been accumulating.  In short order, my wife and I have accumulated our fair share of stuff.  If we don’t want to have a cluttered life in 30 years, we need to maintain and clean it up now. 

Of course, this relates on multiple levels.  We need to keep our minds uncluttered in order to be able to think effectivly.  Ever had a day where you were all over the board?  Clean out some thoughts, organize them on paper, make space and allow clarity for yourself.  Ever feel far away from the Lord?  Take out your garbage, tidy up the clutter, and make some space.  Allow for him to consume your new found freedom, your newfound openness. 

What’s the clutter in your life causing you to stumble around?