Stewardship

We have this lovely book at home called ‘Every moment Holy’ by Douglas Mckelvey and it takes some unusual and some more normal events and occasions that we experience and shows how we can find in them a godly focus. That might sound a bit strange and not relevant to a blog primarily about decluttering, but hopefully if you read on, it will make sense!

I was reading a specific one yesterday and it encouraged me that some of the words of this devotional prayer were a way of seeing often uninspiring and unimportant daily tasks differently. Here’s an extract from the ‘liturgy’ or prayer.

“Many are the things that must be daily done.

Meet me therefore, O Lord, in the doing of the small, repetitive tasks,

In the cleaning and ordering and maintenance and stewardship of things - of dishes, of floors, of carpets and toilets and tubs, of scrubbing and sweeping and dusting and laundering -

That by such stewardship I might bring a greater order to my own life, and to the lives of any I am given to serve, so that in those ordered spaces bright things might flourish:

fellowship and companionship,

creativity and conversation,

Learning and laughter

and enjoyment and health……..”

I thought that it was a lovely and gentle reminder that we are called to ‘steward’ or ‘take care of’ our homes. And that this can be a joy, it doesn’t have to be a grind or an inconvenience.

How do you feel about that? Is that how you approach your home? Do you look around your home with joy in taking care of what you have? Do you feel blessed to have a space you can call yours for now and want to make that the very best space it can be?

I know that I have talked before about ‘enough being plenty’, it’s such a hard reality to really deeply hold on to. Especially when we are bombarded by the temptation for more. It’s so hard to resist the natural programming to feel dissatisfied with the things that we have. But this problem can be redeemed!

The words in this prayer are hopeful. They show that there is meaning in the mundane. Just the basic, simple act of cleaning, tidying and looking after our homes can help those environments be places of joy and fun. We don’t need to add more. As they are, they can bring peace and shelter. Let’s learn to make the best of what we have and to look after our homes well. The less stuff there is in the way, the easier it is to clean. The less visual clutter we have on our shelves and sides, the more our brains can stop and rest.

It might seem a bit much to tackle everything at once, but you can start small.

What could you do today to steward your home differently? Is it a new cleaning routine? Or just thinking about what you really need and use in a space and giving away what you don’t.

I’d love you to feel that your homes are such that in ‘ordered spaces bright things might flourish’ Please let me know in the comments if you are inspired to try something new, it may well inspire others!