THIS Is Important

I LOVE decluttering. I LOVE simplicity. I LOVE Minimalism.

Bringing our home to be just that, OUR home, has brought such joy in my life. I want a house that keeps our own personal loves and things we actually use. A house that gives us calm, and eases us of outside burdens. Not a high maintenance house that demands attention all the time with cleaning and picking up, but one that we can actually find rest and refuge in.

It excites me as I sort through rooms and closets to find and be rid of unloved and unnecessarry stuff from our home. Through doing these decluttering exercises and fun target goals in getting rid of stuff I am not just discarding what's not important, but I'm revealing to myself and our family what IS important.

"This item. This is important. This should be kept. It should be viewed. It should be used."

My thoughts are rewired to a higher thinking standard in doing these little decluttering sessions. I can more easily think about more important things which ultimately spills over to me spending my time on more important things.

Now. I by no means have it perfectly figured out. I still waste time. Lots. But. I am WAY better than I used to be, and I think a big reason for this improvement has to do with training my brain to frequently make decisions on what things are important to me.

Why does life seem to distract me from what's most important to me? Why does it seem at times too busy and complicated? Well, I think in a large part, at least for me, it's because of all the unnecessary/unloved 'stuff' in our homes. The meaningless clutter that grows and grows... until we start and are continually proactive about being rid of it. It's important that our homes can reflect what matters most. What's actually important for our spiritual and physical well-being and growth.

There is such an awesome talk by Deiter F. Uchtdorft titled 'Of Things That Matter Most' and it sums up what truly is important and the reasons we should be slowing down in our 'busy' so that we can better focus on these things. I love how he closes it:

"Brothers and sisters, indeed we have great reason to rejoice. If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace. For this I pray, as I leave you my blessing, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Heaven's slice is deciding what's important and what is not.