I have a lot of stuff. I won’t lie. Ask my wife Robin and she will confirm this. None of my stuff is valuable but it is my stuff and I like it. I honestly don’t know how many books, DVDs, CDs, and LPs I own. In addition to those things I have all sorts of knick-knacks gathering dust all around the house. Once again, none of my stuff is worth anything to anyone but me. It’s MY stuff and I don’t expect anyone to either like or care about it. Now, I don’t consider myself a hoarder. In fact, I actually get rid of things from time to time. Even I understand that there can be too much stuff sitting around.
I have been collecting things for years and every now and then the time comes to declutter. It isn’t always easy because I have convinced myself that most (if not all) of my stuff is important. If I don’t stick to my guns (and listen to Robin) then stuff continues to accumulate. There have been times in the past when I couldn’t find something I really wanted because it was lost in the clutter. As I searched for it I discovered things that I didn’t even know were there. Where did that Joel Osteen book come from? I know I didn’t buy this Nickelback CD. Wait…why do I have three copies of The Purpose Drive Life? And before you ask, yes, at one point all three of those things happened.
Not too long ago I realized it was time for some more decluttering. I went through the bookshelves and removed a few books that I knew I wasn’t going to read. I briefly scanned all the CDs and DVDs and discovered some duplicates that I could donate. I even set aside some of my other stuff that I felt like I should get rid of. The shelves in my room and my office had gotten cluttered again and then I started thinking about the clutter in other parts of my life. I have made a conscious effort to declutter my schedule. I am even attempting to declutter my mind by limiting the amount of stuff I put in it as well. Part of decluttering is assigning value to things. I am learning to better prioritize stuff and determine what is valuable and what can go.
As I have been going through the process I have started thinking about all the stuff packed into my faith. I have been “going to church” my entire life. I was taught (and believed) all the Sunday School stuff at a very early age. I was baptized when I was 11 years old. I was baptized AGAIN when I was 24. I have been to Bible College (twice) and have completed seminary classes. I have been a worship leader, a teacher, a deacon, and an elder. I am an ordained minister. I have helped plant a church. I am a preacher right now. I have been in good churches and bad ones as well. Truth be told, there is a lot of stuff packed into my faith and not all of it is good.
I have seen several people (some of them high profile) talk about “deconstructing” their faith. Depending upon the person that can mean different things. I believe it can be healthy to stop and seriously consider what you believe and why you believe it. That seems to be the root of the whole deconstruction process. If that helps someone distill their faith down to the essentials and draws them closer to God then it is a great thing. However, some folks deconstruct to a point that it seems like they have abandoned their faith. That is not what I am doing here. That is why I am using a different term. I believe “decluttering” is more appropriate for what I hope to accomplish through this series of posts.
I don’t know how long this will take and I don’t know where it will lead but I want to seriously unpack all the stuff that I have accumulated in my 51 years. I want to examine all the knick-knacks sitting on the shelves and see just how much they’re worth. Unlike most of my physical stuff, some of this stuff has great value. Some of it has eternal value and is priceless. My goal is to declutter my spiritual life. I am sure there are some things that I can toss out. There are probably things I need to dust off and display prominently as well. I pray you are encouraged as I share what I find.
Grace and peace.
That 80s Pastor Dude 